1. Violations of the rule of law – The use of
administrative arrest as a tool of political repression.

Persecution of dissenters. Violation of journalists’ rights.

a. A peaseful rally was dispelled

[13.04.2004]

On April 12 around 00:30
o’clock, when peaceful demonstrates were enjoying kind of unification, quite
suddenly on Baghramyan Avenue the street illumination went down. Then the rumors
spread: “They are going to press people with a tanks”. Leaders of opposition
declared, it is methods of making people scare and there is no reason for panic.
Suddenly water shooter cars, which were parked on the next side of the barbed
wire started to move ahead opening the way for helmets. On Bagramyan Avenue
street illumination was put on back. Good trick…army and water shoot cars had to
see their enemy. Simultaneously to water shoot some type of unknown explosives
were thrown out (later we clarified they were splinters!).It was so
unexpectedly, people got in a flap, but kept their positions. On the same
moment, some fellows in civilian clothes, which were grouped around Chekhov
school and US Embassy (first they were among demonstrates) took off their clubs
and started to beat people violently.

At the same time, from the Parliament of Republic of Armenia central gate
red-berets went out, which joined the massacre from the other side. When number
of injured people became critical, not protected demonstrates started to move
back. Crossroad of Baghrayan Avenue and Moskovyan street was already blocked.
Another fully equipped army of helmets was waiting there for already shocked
citizens.

By now, number of demonstrates are taken to the hospital hardly injured.
Obviously lots of them did not apply, being frustrated. Unfortunately none of
Armenian TV channels were there at the moment, the only brave cameramen was from
Russian ORT. He was beaten and camera broken. In an hour, when some of MPs from
opposition were arrested and demonstrates finally repressed satisfied order
implementers were proud to report their chiefs about settled “rule and order in
the country”.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=37



b.
Number of Those Arrested is Unknown

[14.04.2004]

On April 13 146 members of National Unity Party were arrested, and 127 of them
were released. The Party members cite the above figures. They also state the
official data under which 28 party-men were taken in detention. It means that
law machinery doesn’t register all the arrested in their papers.

National Unity MP Alexan Karapetyan had been in detention, too. He has today
told about his arrest. Mr Karapetyan is sure being well-informed that he had
suffered a heart attack a few years before some of law-enforcement bodies
purposely administered electric shocked on his heart area.

After Alexan Karapetyan had lost consciousness 2 policemen took him to the
check-point. There he witnessed “The Armenian Times” Daily journalist Hayk
Grigoryan being brutally beaten.

According to Karapetyan, policemen accused him of the attempt of forced power
change. “They asked me what for I wanted change of power. I said people were in
a sad state. They said nothing would change”, Karapetyan said.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1625

c. Jrashat Villagers in Police

[12.04.2004]

Local policemen have today arrested 12 Jrashat
villagers and taken them to the department. All the residents of Jrashat
gathered at the Police department and demand to release the arrested.

People were taken in detention because they wanted to come to Yerevan for
Opposition meeting on foot since the road for buses was closed.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1619

d. Aramazd Zaqaryan Arrested


[12.04.2004]

On 11 April at 6:00 PM Aramazd Zaqaryan, member of “Republic” Party political
board was arrested while entering the Freedom Square. He didn’t obey the actions
of the law-enforcement bodies in civil clothes. They roughly put Zaqaryan who is
an Artcakh War invalid, in a car and drove him to an unknown direction.

It turned 1 hour later that Aramazd Zaqaryan is in Center Police Department and
demands for an advocate.

Later a closed session was held within 72 hours and a 2-month-long detention was
fixed as a preventive punishment for Zaqaryan to conduct the preliminary
investigation. He is accused of making “anti-constitutional” calls at the rally
on February 28.

Thereby, Aramazd Zagaryan along with Suren Surenyanc and Artak Gabrielyan is the
third person, against whom was instituted a criminal case. Must be reminded,
that Prompt response group on human rights protection in its

statement consider these
arrests political.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1618




http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=37

e. Case of Nune Ashughyan

[12.04.2004]

On April 10 night, policemen of Malatia-Sebastia district, dressed in civil,
took from her home as a hostage Nune Ashughyan, under-age, 16-year old daughter
of one of the active participant of the protest actions Gayane Ashughyan. They
demanded Gayane Ashughyan come to police station. Nune Ashughyan was released
late at night.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=37

f. Opposition Offices Seized By
Police, Leaders in Hiding

[13.04.2004]

The offices of two leading Armenian opposition parties were seized by police and
their leaders went into hiding on Tuesday. The police also cut short a news
conference by two other opposition leaders who vowed to continue to fight for
President Robert Kocharian’s resignation.

Meanwhile, three opposition lawmaker remained under arrest for their active
participation in the anti-Kocharian demonstration broken up by security forces
the previous night. Two of them, Shavarsh Kocharian of the Artarutyun bloc and
Aleksan Karapetian of the National Unity Party (AMK) were arrested at the scene.
Law-enforcement authorities claimed that Kocharian (no relation to the Armenian
president) was held carrying a weapon, a charge strongly denied by his
supporters.

The third parliamentarian, Arshak Sadoyan, was taken away from his home in the
morning. Officials said he could be charged with an attempt to “seize power.”
Also arrested were two other prominent Artarutyun figures, former Defense
Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian and former Deputy Health Minister Artak
Zeynalian.

Also, the police visited the Yerevan apartment of another prominent opposition
leader, Vazgen Manukian, with a search warrant. Manukian was not at home. His
wife refused to let them in. The family of Artarutyun leader Stepan Demirchian
received a similar visit later in the day. His mother also refused to allow a
search.

The offices of the AMK and a major Artarutyun party, Hanrapetutyun, were
ransacked by heavily armed police immediately after the brutal suppression of
the anti-Kocharian protest on Baghramian Avenue leading to the presidential
palace. Dozens of opposition activists were reportedly detained in the raids.
Law-enforcement officials continued to occupy the offices as of Tuesday evening,
refusing to let anyone in.

Fleeing the attacking special police units, the leaders of the two parties,
Artashes Geghamian and Aram Sarkisian, found refuge in a secluded house off
Baghramian Avenue together with some 30 people, including two RFE/RL
correspondents. They were separately taken to unknown locations by supporters at
dawn. Geghamian later contacted RFE/RL, alleging that the authorities are
“terrorizing” his family members.

“It’s not about hiding. It’s about informing our rank-and-file about their
further actions,” Geghamian said by phone. “If we are arrested that will be more
difficult. It is Mr. Kocharian who is hiding behind barbed wire.”

“We must first analyze the situation and then decide which steps to take,” said
another fugitive Hanrapetutyun leader, Albert Bazeyan.

The police also burst into the headquarters of another Artarutyun force, the
People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK), at about the same time, breaking doors,
smashing office equipment and arresting its senior members, including the party
spokeswoman Ruzan Khachatrian. They left the building only to reappear at its
entrance early in the afternoon just as HZhK leader Demirchian met reporters to
comment the situation. The law-enforcement officers again left after prompting a
noisy uproar from about 50 Demirchian supporters who gathered outside the
building.

“What happened was a crime,” Demirchian said. “It was a military operation, a
terror against the people, and the ruling coalition is also responsible. The
special police attacked and beat the people from the National Assembly compound
while our deputies were denied entry into the parliament.”

But Kocharian defended the use of force, saying through a spokesman that the
opposition actions amounted to “political extremism.” He warned that further
attempts to force him into resignation would be countered in the same way.

The presidential press secretary, Ashot Kocharian, said the opposition disrupted
“the normal work” of the president and the parliament, thereby “endangering the
country’s constitutional order.” “The demonstrators did not obey the legitimate
orders of police officers,” the official said.

Kocharian discussed the situation on Friday with leaders of the pro-presidential
majority in the Armenian. They effectively justified his actions.

The police, meanwhile, claimed that the protesters themselves assaulted security
officers with stones and petrol bombs. “Police repeatedly warned demonstrators
that their unlawful actions would be met with adequate reaction if they were to
continue,” its chief spokesman, Sayad Shirinian said in televised remarks. “But,
despite this, the transgressors went on for quite a long time with their
anti-social actions. On top of this, in response to [our] warnings, they started
moving menacingly toward police forces.”

However, various eyewitnesses insist that the eight-hour demonstration was
peaceful until the riot police charged against its participants, using
truncheons, water cannons and stun grenades.

There was no immediate reaction to the dramatic developments from the United
States, Russia, the European Union and other pan-European organizations. The
U.S. and German ambassadors to Armenia met with Demirchian on Friday but issued
no public statements afterwards.

Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the head of the Yerevan office of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, expressed concern at the tense situation
during a meeting with Kocharian. Pryakhin told RFE/RL that the use of force
against peaceful demonstrators is “unacceptable” but at the same time endorsed
police claims that they behaved aggressively.

According to medical authorities in Yerevan, only 30 people were injured in the
overnight clashes and 16 of them were hospitalized. However, many victims
appeared to avoid hospitalization for fear of police reprisals. Police officers
were reportedly deployed in hospitals to prevent any contact between beaten
protesters and journalists.

By Shakeh Avoyan and Ruzanna Stepanian



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1623

g. Four Armenian Journalists Beaten Up
By Police

[13.04.2004]

Police brutality reached a new height in Armenia on Tuesday when four
journalists covering the heavy-handed government response to an opposition
demonstration were beaten up and badly injured by security forces.

It was the second instance of serious violence against Armenian media
representatives in just over a week and the worst on record.

Police stood by and watched on April 5 as a group of pro-government thugs
attacked reporters in Yerevan, smashing video and still cameras that documented
their attempts to disrupt an anti-government rally. This time, according to the
victims, law-enforcement officials were the direct perpetrators, making
journalism an increasingly dangerous profession in Armenia.

Hayk Gevorgian, a well-known writer and photographer for the “Haykakan Zhamanak”
daily, suffered in both incidents, having lost two expensive cameras in eight
days. More importantly, he sustained serious injuries on his head, chest and
back. He was hospitalized following a collective beating which he says was
started by the deputy chief of the Armenian Police Service, General Hovannes
Varian.

“He personally grabbed my photo camera first,” Gevorgian told RFE/RL. “I said
something like ‘What does this mean?’ He shouted ‘You’ll now see what it means’,
and more than a dozen other officers started hitting me.”

Gevorgian was then dragged into the next-door parliament compound where the
beating continued relentlessly. He said: “People there seemed to wait for me.
They immediately attacked me, kicking, punching and hitting me with clubs. I
kept yelling ‘I’m a journalist, I’m a journalist’. But no one cared.”

A similar fate awaited Avetis Babajanian, another “Haykakan Zhamanak”
correspondent also present at the scene of the bloodiest ever suppression of an
opposition protest in post-Soviet Armenia. Babajanian said he was hit in the
back and the feet while he was made to pass through two rows of baton-wielding
security officers wearing helmets and flak jackets.

Levon Grigorian, a veteran cameraman for Russia’s largest ORT television
network, saw his camera shattered to pieces before being knocked unconscious.
Grigorian said he filmed thousands of people running away in panic when a group
of plainclothes and uniformed men attacked him. He believes that they used
electrical shock devices.

“They beat me unconscious and then threw me under a tree like a rag,” he said.


Another journalist, Mher Ghalechian of the “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” weekly, was
beaten up and taken to a police station after he photographed security officers
outside the ransacked office of the opposition Hanrapetutyun party. Ghalechian
said he was set free in the evening after going on a hunger strike.

The unprecedented violence drew vehement protests and condemnations from
Armenia’s media associations who linked it to the authorities’ failure to
prosecute any of the thugs involved in the April 5 rampage. “This time the
police themselves used force against journalists performing their duty,” the
Yerevan Press Club, the Journalists Union of Armenia and the Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression said in a joint statement.

“We call on all international organizations to obligate the Armenian authorities
to respect international conventions signed by themselves and protect freedom of
expression in the country,” said the Yerevan-based Caucasus Media Institute.

By Gevorg Stamboltsian



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1622

2. Freedom of media and broadcasting

[12.04.2004]

From April 11 because of the preventive service was
stopped broadcasting of the Kentron TV channel. Almost a week is stopped
broadcasting of the Russian TV channel NTV. It is stopped the entrance from
Russia of those Nezavisimaya gazeta release numbers, which cover issues
regarding events in Armenia.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=37

3. Freedom of Movement

a. District
Cars and Buses Forbidden to Enter Yerevan

[14.04.2004]

From April 9-14 policemen of Armavir District didn’t allow taxis and buses to
drive to Yerevan. By April 12 no transport was permitted to enter Yerevan. After
April 13 when Opposition rally was dispelled policemen turned to be “kind” and
let drivers enter Yerevan without passengers.

Though policemen didn’t explain anything it was clear that they tried to hamper
participation of Armavir residents in the Opposition meeting. During those days
Armavir people working in Yerevan couldn’t get home and students residing in
Armavir didn’t manage to attend courses.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1626

b. Transport in Vanadzor is blocked

[12.04.2004]

As HELSINKI CITIZENS` ASSEMBLY VANADZOR OFFICE
informed, policemen are blocked transport moving toward Yerevan from Vanadzor
bus terminal.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=37

4. Statements of International and local organizations.

Number of Local and International Organizations adopted statements condemning
violations of human rights in Armenia.

a. Violations of Political Rights in
Armenia

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF)

[13.04.2004]

Vienna, 13 April 2004. Armenian authorities have broadly violated basic
international civil and political human rights norms in their efforts to thwart
protests against the government and the president, according to reports by
Armenian human rights organizations and media. These oppressive policies are at
variance with Armenia’s obligations as a participating State of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and as a member of the Council of
Europe, and call into question the government’s commitment to the political
values of these bodies. On the practical level, they sow seeds of further and
more demonstrative political confrontations, and regional instability.

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) calls upon the
Armenian presidential administration to reassess its approach to political
dissent, and to support a full, independent investigation of recent state
actions, in cooperation with experts from the OSCE and Council of Europe, and
independent civil society monitors. The IHF offers its own assistance and
cooperation in this process.

We summarize below the evidence of violations of freedom of assembly, of freedom
of movement, of the freedom of the media, and of the persecution of political
dissenters that have occurred.

The whole text can be found here:


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1630

b. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE:
Political Unrest in Armenia

[13.04.2004]

Office of the Spokesman

April 13, 2004

Statement by Richard Boucher, Spokesman

The United States is concerned about the current political situation in Armenia,
particularly the sharp escalation in confrontation between the government and
the opposition. We call on both sides to enter into a dialogue that will lessen
tension and focus the political process on the challenges of continued political
and economic reform. Physical assaults, raids on political party offices and
widespread arrests and detentions of opposition activists by the police do not
contribute to creating an atmosphere conducive to political dialogue. We call on
all sides to respect the role of peaceful assembly and to take all steps to
prevent violence.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1621

c. ARMENIA: Journalists beaten at
an opposition rally

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

[13.04.2004]

New York, April 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns
today's early-morning attack on several Armenian journalists who were covering
an opposition rally in the country's capital, Yerevan.

According to local and international reports, four journalists were seriously
beaten. Ayk Gevorgian and Avetis Babajanian, reporters with the opposition daily
Aykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times); Levon Grigorian, a cameraman with the Russian
TV channel ORT; and Mher Ghalechian, a journalist with the opposition weekly
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun, were all hurt after being beaten by police, according to
the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Elina Poghosbekian, editor of the newsletter of the Yerevan Press Club, told CPJ
that Gevorgian was treated for serious injuries but that he is now in stable
condition. CPJ does not currently have information on the status of the other
journalists. Police destroyed the cameras of both Gevorgian and Grigorian.

The rally, organized by several opposition parties, began yesterday evening at
around 6 p.m. with about 15,000 demonstrators marching toward the residence of
President Robert Kocharian and calling for a referendum on his rule, RFE/RL
reported.

Violence erupted at about 2 a.m., when the lights went out in the area. Police
then beat protestors and the journalists with batons, using stun grenades and
water jets to disperse the remaining demonstrators.

Another opposition rally had been held on April 5. Several hundred police stood
by while about two dozen unidentified men smashed the video cameras of three
Armenian television stations and the still cameras of two opposition dailies.


See CPJ's alert of April 6, 2004


"CPJ calls on Armenian authorities to investigate these attacks against our
colleagues and bring those responsible to justice," said CPJ Executive Director
Ann Cooper. "We also urge officials to ensure that journalists in Armenia are
able to do their jobs freely and safely."



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1620

d.
OSCE Office Concerned About Violence in Armenia

[14.04.2004]

The OSCE Office in Yerevan is alarmed at recent developments in Armenia and
calls on all the parties involved to resolve their differences through a
political dialogue to ease tensions in the country.

"The police action in the very early morning of 13 April aimed to forcefully
disperse the citizens and journalists gathered in front of the National Assembly
is of serious concern to us," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the
OSCE Office in Yerevan, in a statement he gave to Radio Liberty and Armenian
newspaper Golos Armenii.

The OSCE Office is paying particular attention to the fate of those detained and
the condition of those who suffered injuries during the police operation, and to
the question of the searches of the headquarters of the main opposition parties,
conducted by the police during the same night.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan welcomes the release of three members of the Armenian
Parliament -- Mr. Shavarsh Kocharian, Mr. Arshak Sadoyan and Mr. Alexan
Karapetyan -- who were also detained during the police operation. At the same
time, it expresses concern with regard to the alleged use of force during their
detention and reports on difficulties they experienced in receiving legal
assistance, while in detention.

The OSCE Office will continue to monitor the implementation by Armenia of human
rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in OSCE principles and commitments
accepted by Armenia as a participant in the Organization, said Ambassador
Pryakhin.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1628

e. Secretary General Warns Of
Anti-Democratic Decline In Armenia And Appeals For Dialogue

[14.04.2004]

Strasbourg, 14.04.2004 – Following a meeting with the Permanent Representative
of Armenia to the Council of Europe yesterday evening, Secretary General Walter
Schwimmer expressed his concern about reported violence in Armenia.

“There is incomplete and conflicting news of excessive use of force by the
police, of arrests - including of members of parliament - and of a media
blackout”, said Walter Schwimmer. “This confirms one thing: if there was
complete freedom of the media, we would have a clear picture of the situation”,
he added.

Recalling the strong position taken by the Parliamentary Assembly against the
use of arbitrary procedures for detention, as foreseen in the Administrative
Code, the Secretary General said that such detentions would not be acceptable.


The Secretary General of the 45-member human rights organisation warned against
an anti-democratic decline in Armenia. “In a democracy, people are free to
gather and express their views – even if they are critical of the President or
of the government”, said Mr Schwimmer. “I call on the Armenian authorities to
guarantee all human rights which are protected under the European Convention on
Human Rights”.

“Today’s problems are partly caused by the lack of modern legislation, which it
would be possible to introduce before changing the Constitution. For this and
for other reasons, Armenia has already lost precious time for reform”, he
continued.

“I appeal to all political forces to refrain from violence, to resume dialogue
and to focus on democratic reform”, the Secretary General concluded.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1627

f. German Envoy Slams Government
Crackdown

[15.04.2004]

Germany’s ambassador to Armenia, Hans-Wulf Bartels, subjected on Thursday to
strong criticism the Armenian authorities’ crackdown on the opposition, saying
that it would be impossible in established European democracies.

“Human rights are violated, journalists are beaten and people are unable to move
freely and express their views freely in Armenia,” Bartels told RFE/RL in an
interview. “It is disheartening to see all of this is happening in a country
which is a member of the Council of Europe.”

“I can say for certain that the violence which took place in Armenia would be
impossible in Germany,” he said, referring to the violent dispersal of a
peaceful opposition demonstration near President Robert Kocharian’s in the early
hours of Tuesday. “It’s good that there were no human casualties.”

Bartels specifically condemned the brief arrests of several opposition lawmakers
and the beating by police officers of Armenian journalists covering the
demonstration.

Bartels, who also represents the current Irish presidency of the European Union,
revealed that he and the Yerevan-based ambassadors of other major EU states met
with Kocharian on Wednesday to discuss the political crisis in the country. He
said both sides agreed not to publicize any details of their conversation.

The fact of the meeting was not made public by the presidential office. The
European diplomats already met Kocharian last week before a series of opposition
rallies in Yerevan. Bartels told RFE/RL afterwards that the EU expects the
authorities to display “prudence” in dealing with the street protests.

The EU itself has not yet officially reacted to the dramatic events in Armenia,
unlike the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe and the United States. They all cautiously criticized the crackdown. "The
police action in the very early morning of 13 April aimed to forcefully disperse
the citizens and journalists gathered in front of the National Assembly is of
serious concern to us," the head of the OSCE in Yerevan, Ambassador Vladimir
Pryakhin, said in a statement Thursday.

The German envoy joined U.S. calls for a “dialogue” between the two rival camps,
but admitted that chances of a compromise agreement between them are slim. “I
can consider the situation a deadlock because neither the opposition nor the
government are finding common ground.”

Meanwhile, Armenia’s closest foreign ally, Russia, has stopped short of
explicitly taking sides in the dispute. Russian President Vladimir Putin
discussed it in a phone call with Kocharian on Wednesday. A Russian Foreign
Ministry statement said vaguely that Putin “expressed his certainty that
Armenia's leadership will be able to use a substantial saved-up potential of
democratic reforms to uphold stability and the rule of law.” Kocharian’s press
service issued no statements regarding the conversation.

A leading Moscow daily, “Nezavisimaya Gazeta,” quoted on Wednesday an unnamed
Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying the Armenian leadership is spreading
false rumors that the crackdown was sanctioned by the Kremlin. “It is not the
first time that Kocharian is appealing to Moscow for his aims,” a retired top
Russian army general, Leonid Ivashov, told the paper.

Russian media also cited Andranik Migranian, a prominent Armenian-born political
analyst, as saying that it would be “very foolish” for Moscow to openly back
Kocharian or his opponents. “No matter who holds power [in Yerevan] after the
current crisis, Russian-Armenian relations are unlikely to change,” Migranian
said.

By Ruzanna Stepanian and Emil Danielyan



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1631

g.
Statement of Yerevan Press Club, Journalists Union of Armenia and Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression

[13.04.2004]

On early morning of April 13, journalists were also among the victims of the
rally dispersed by police forces on Baghramian Avenue in Yerevan.

Yerevan Press Club, Journalists Union of Armenia, Committee to Protect Freedom
of Expression state that law and order bodies have not yet revealed and punished
the perpetrators of April 5 violence against the journalists. Moreover, this
time the police themselves used force towards journalists on their duty: several
media representatives were exposed to beating, their equipment was snatched away
or crashed.

We once again stress that impeding journalist activity by any person even the
police is criminal offence.

We condemn this display of violence and declare that we will be consistent in
our demands, namely to track and punish, on Article 164 of RA Criminal Code, the
persons using violence against the journalists on both April 5 and April 13
early morning, as well as to compensate the damage caused to the media.

Yerevan Press Club

Journalists Union of Armenia

Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1624

h. Of Media
Support Internews Non-Governmental Organization Concerning Violations toward
Journalists on April 13, 2004

[15.04.2004]

On April 13, the police dispersing the sit-in on Baghramyan Avenue, showed
unprecedented brutality and violence toward media representatives. Hayk
Gevorgyan, press photographer of “Haykakan Zhamanak” Daily, Avetis Babajanyan,
reporter of the same periodical and Levon Grigoryan, the ORT cameraman were
unmercifully beaten. The latter also suffered from electroshock and tear-gas.
The attackers seized and crashed their cameras. All events took place in the
presence and with participation of the police.

A journalist as any other individual should not be tortured and subjected to a
cruel treatment or humiliation. This right is guaranteed not only by Article 19
of the Armenian Constitution, but also by a number of international agreements
to which Armenia is a party, in particular, Article 5 of the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights, Article 3 of the European Convention on Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and article 7 of International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights.

Journalists, as persons conducting professional activities and performing a
social duty are protected by the RA legislation, including Article 164 of RA
Criminal Code, providing criminal liability for hindering the reporter’s lawful
professional activities.

Internews condemns the acts of violence against media representatives during the
demonstrations on April 5 and 13, and calls competent authorities to ensure the
implementation of the legal norms of RA legislation, and show decisiveness in
bringing to account the offenders of journalists’ rights.

Media Support Internews Non-Governmental Organization

13.04.2004



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1632

5. On April 13 THE PROMPT RESPONSE GROUP ON HUMAN
RIGHTS PROTECTION adopted the following STATEMENT

Recent events in Armenia shape into dangerous trends. Citizens’ basic
rights are violated: roads to Yerevan from other regions of Armenia are closed;
throughout the Republic mass arrests accompanied by illegal search of homes, and
summoning to police stations occur; administrative punishment, decided behind
the closed doors, is applied. Firstly, Souren Sourenyants, and later Artak
Gabrielyan and Aramazd Zakaryan were arrested for solely political reasons.

We consider the above mentioned facts as state terror. While condemning the
methods exploited by the government, we also call on to all forces to demand
that the government immediately stop the illegal chase of people.

On April 14 THE PROMPT RESPONSE GROUP ON HUMAN RIGHTS
PROTECTION organized a round table discussion on the recent mass breaches of
human rights and basic freedoms in Armenia was held in the Center of American
University of Armenia.

During the round table the following statement was adopted.

Today in Armenia there are numerous cases of
infringements of people's constitutional rights. Unfortunately, those cases do
not result in proper reaction from the intellectuals and the wider public of our
country.

Apart from any political belonging those violations should be condemned.

We, representatives of more than 70 rights-protective, youth, student and other
public organizations, in the course of joint discussions have come to the
following mutual directive (agreement).

We want to live in a free, democratic and open society, where the rights of
every single citizen are respected and protected.

• We find that social and
  political stability can be based exclusively on the Rule of Law, and complete
  protection of people's and citizen's rights.

• The stability based on
  violence and terror is illusory and deceptive.

We condemn the course of actions undertaken by the
current powers, directed at solving political issues via brutal force. Those
actions through our Country off the track towards civilized development.

Our struggle pursues not political but CIVIL goals.

We urge all conscious citizens and especially the youth, who care for their
Countries future well being to take part in the demonstration to be held on
April 15 at 6pm at Matenadaran.

Initiative Group:

Civil Society Institute

Free Tribune for Civil Initiatives

Helsinki Committee of Armenia

Caucasus Center for Peacemaking Initiatives

Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office

Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Yerevan Office

Speech Freedom Support Fund

Journalists’ Club “Asparez”, Gyumri

New Armenia

Collaboration for Democracy

Arsen Kharatyan

Karen Hakobyan

Hrant Ter-Abrahamyan

Lala Aslikyan

Astghik Sargsyan


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=37

PROTEST ACTION IN YEREVAN

[15.04.2004]

Thousands gathered Thursday in the rally staged by 70
organizations in a protest against tyranny.

“We will keep struggling until not a single political prisoner remains in
Armenia. We demand to release all political prisoners from detention”, Armenian
Helsinki Association Chair Avetik Ishkhanyan said speaking at today’s rally.

Initiators of the event said everybody has right to live and think freely in his
homeland urged people to unite against tyranny.

The rally ended with a march to National Assembly building. Tremendous numbers
of police officers lined pavement. Armenia’s Deputy Police Chief Hovhannes
Varyan and Chief of Yerevan’s Kentron district Hovik Tamanyan were among them.


Hovhannes Varyan is a sinister figure having a reputation for being the key
persecutor of people. Marchers pointed their fingers at him saying: “Look, this
is that Varyan…”

By the end of the protest action, marchers left banners on the National Assembly
compound fence. They also fastened colored balloons to the fence.

When the protest action was over, the law enforcement officers began to take the
banners and balloons. They were confused by presence of cameramen on the scene.


After completing their important threat-neutralizing mission the policemen
breathed freely again.

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