1. Political Prisoners. Persecution of
dissenters. Violation of journalists' rights



    a. The web-page devoted to political prisoners is set up.

New web-page in Armenian devoted to political prisoners in Armenia 
is set up on www.hra.am. The page is
avilable at

http://hra.am/polpris/arm

   b. Not All the Political Prisoners Are Released

[15.06.2004]

Representatives of various social organizations are still assembling near the
General Office of Prosecutor demanding to release the political prisoners.

To this very day the participants of the action have gathered about 9.000
signatures. Extra 460 have been collected today. There are people who are
interested in the action, but they refuse signing the documents.

The trial of Lavrenti Kirakosyan will take place in Armavir. Let’s remind that
he was arrested on April 10 during the sit-in in Freedom Square. He was beaten,
put in a car and taken away.

But it wasn’t enough. Kirakosyan was subjected to 10-day-long detention for
ribaldry, and then he was released. But later the law-enforcement bodies have
twice searched his house and found drugs. Then he was again arrested.

By the way, Kirakosyan doesn’t even smoke. The action organizers are going to
take part in tomorrow’s trial.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1755


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1757


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1743

    c. Beaten Oppositionist Charged With Assaulting
Policeman

[10.06.2004]

An Armenian opposition activist who underwent urgent surgery after a reportedly
brutal questioning by the police last month could go on trial soon on charges of
assaulting one of his interrogators.

A criminal investigation relating to Grisha Virabian, a leader of the opposition
Artarutyun alliance’s chapter in the southern town of Artashat, is being
conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office in Yerevan’s Erebuni district. He will be
brought face to face on Friday with the Artashat police officers who detained
him shortly after the troubled April 12-13 opposition demonstration in the
capital.

Virabian is one of about two dozen opposition activists facing criminal
prosecution in connection with their participation in the unsanctioned street
protests against President Robert Kocharian. Five of them have already been
sentenced to between 9 and 18 months in prison. The convictions have been
condemned as politically motivated by the opposition and local human rights
groups.

By Hrach Melkumian


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1748



    d. Another Political Prisoner Released From Jail

[10.06.2004]

Republic party member Ashot Zakaryan charged with hooliganism, disorderly
conduct and defying the police order was freed right from the courtroom on
Thursday.

He was sentenced to one year’s probation. It means he will be under police
supervision for one year.

The court session lasted two hours. The prosecution offered to sentence the
accused to a year in jail while the defense side demanded to find Zakaryan
innocent and release from detention.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1746

    e Surenyants Case Closed

[14.06.2004]

The case against Suren Surenyants, a member of Republic opposition party charged
with making seditious calls and insulting the authorities’ representative, who
were released from pretrial detention recently, was dismissed on Monday because
of “change in situation”.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1751

    f. Vagharshak Harutyunyan Is Set Free

[11.06.2004]

On June 11, at 20:30 the former Minister of Defense, General-Lieutenant
Vagharshak Harutyunyan was set free. It is interesting, that the fact coincided
with EC co-chairman Jerzhi Jaskernia's visit to Yerevan


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1750

   g. Journalist Attackers Fined By Court

[10.06.2004]

A court in Yerevan convicted Thursday two men of involvement in last April’s
unprecedented attack on journalists covering an opposition rally but stopped
short of imprisoning them, fining each of them 100,000 drams ($182) instead.

Ashot Avetisian and Hrair Harutiunian admitted assaulting journalists and
smashing their cameras and were found guilty of “deliberately damaging property”
belonging to other persons. The light punishment was demanded by city
prosecutors who cited “many mitigating circumstances” such as the defendants’
confession of their guilt.

 ”Association of Investigating Journalists” has appeared with a
statement condemning the trial of the young men with shaved heads who beat
people during rallies.

Citing the impudence of the young men during the legal proceedings, the fact
they threatened “Noyan Tapan” Agency correspondent Sona Mashuryan to break her
head, “Association of Investigating Journalists” says the law-enforcement bodies
showed the same indifference in Court like at the April 5 rally.

”Association of Investigating Journalists” finds the trial held was just a show.


In fact, the young people of shaved heads in Court, their curses and menaces
addressed to journalists proved the criminals are unpunished and Authorities
don’t display a good will to protect the speech freedom.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1747


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1756

h. Office of General Prosecutor Replied to the Application of “New
Armenia” Regarding Political Prisoners

[09.06.2004]

Office of General Prosecutor replied to the application of “New Armenia”,
which demanded to substantiate why people are arrested for their political
convictions and whether there is any way to change the preventive punishment.
Here we are presenting the text of the reply.



"31.05.2004

In connection with your appeal to the RA General Prosecutor, we announce that
your petition for freeing the people mentioned there has been discussed. There
are no bases for changing the preventive punishment applied towards T.
Ter-Sargsyan and the others. In the list presented by you there is not a single
person towards whom criminal persecution has been applied for expressing
political rights and especially opinions. Those persons are exclusively accused
of committing criminal actions envisaged by specific provisions of the RA
Criminal Code.

For instance, Lavrenti Kirakosyan is accused of committing the action envisaged
by Article 268 point 2 of the RA Criminal Code (illegal distribution of large
quantity of narcotic or psychotic substances).

Six of the persons mentioned in the list are blamed for hooliganism (Article
258, point 3 of the RA Criminal Code) and the crimes committed by them may not
be viewed as expressions of political views. For the same purposes that
description may not be applied for the others mentioned in the list either, who
are blame by Articles 300 (acquisition of public authority), 301 (public appeals
for changing the Constitutional order by violence), and 318 (public insult of
state representative) of the RA Criminal Code. At the same time we announce that
the decision of the judge on choosing detention as a preventive punishment based
on Article 287 of the RA Criminal Code may be appealed in the Court of Appeal.


S. H. Manoukyan

Head of Department on

Oversight of the Legitimacy of

Initial and Final Investigation"


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1745

2. Freedom: What is it or Against Violence

Unappropriated Exhibition

[11.06.2004]

A number of NGOs, who started picketing Office of General Prosecutor for release
political prisoners month ago, organized the photo exhibition “Freedom: What is
it or Against Violence ”

Exhibition was held on June 12, at 4 p.m. in the park near the Conservatory.
Organizers informed city administration on the event and got the following
response: “Administration doesn’t consider the conduction of the exhibition
appropriate”. This was the reason for changing the title of the exhibition. Now
it is called “Unappropriated Exhibition”.

The exhibion  is continuing in the Tamanyan's Museum (Republic
Square, Governement house 3) and will last till June 21.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1749

3. Freedom of Expression

Member of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly was asked to make a choice.

After publication in the April 3 issue of “Aravot” newspaper of Izabella
Sarkisyan’s foto from the meeting, which was orginized for supporting “A1plus”,
she was forced to stop working at the H1 TV channel, where she conducted program
“Nkugh”.


http://www.hra.am/arm/index1.php?goto=news&id=852

4. Freedom of Assembly

Opposition To Continue Rallies

[14.06.2004]

Wednesday’s rally is likely to be first opposition action sanctioned by the
authorities. The organizers formally notified the Yerevan mayor’s office of the
planned gathering in accordance with a new Armenian law. The municipality has
voiced no objections yet.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1753

5. PACE. Honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia

International organizations about the Human Rights Situation in Armenia



    a. Council Of Europe Monitor Ends Fact-Finding Trip To
Armenia

[14.06.2004]

A representative of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) met
Monday with President Robert Kocharian and a string of other senior Armenian
officials to wrap up a fact-finding trip aimed at assessing Yerevan’s compliance
with democratic standards set by the organization.

Jerzy Jaskiernia, the Armenia rapporteur of the PACE’s Monitoring Committee, is
to draft a report on whether the Kocharian’s administration is following the
recommendations contained in the assembly’s April 28 resolution on the Armenian
political crisis. He left no indications that the report will be as critical of
the Armenian authorities as the resolution.

“We will present our findings in our report. We don’t like to make any comments
during the visit,” Jaskiernia told reporters when asked to comment on his
findings.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1752

    b. Venice Commission Session to Be Held On June
18-19

[14.06.2004]

The Venice Commission, in the course of its plenary session in Venice on 18 and
19 June, will adopt an important opinion on the autonomous status of Adjara
within Georgia. The request for the opinion was submitted by the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26 May 2004.

Other opinions on the agenda concern a number of laws in different member
states, including: the law on public meetings in Armenia, the law on political
parties in Azerbaijan, draft laws on the protection of minorities in Ukraine and
Montenegro, and the draft law on the public prosecutor in Ukraine. It will also
discuss constitutional reform in Armenia with the Vice-Speaker of the National
Assembly, Tigran Torosyan.

In the electoral field, the Commission will be asked to adopt opinions on
electoral law and administration in Albania and in Moldova, and to study the
subject of referendums. The Presidents of the Constitutional Courts of Algeria,
Egypt, South Africa and Chile will also exchange views with the Commission on
the possibilities for future co-operation.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1754

    c. U.S. Department of State

Trafficking in Persons Report: Armenia

[15.06.2004]

US Department of State issued 2004 annual report on trafficking. Full text of
the report is avilable here:


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=52