World Report 2008

Armenia: Events of 2007

The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) won almost 33 percent of the
vote in the May 2007 parliamentary elections and controls nearly half of the
seats in the National Assembly. Two other parties loyal to President Robert
Kocharian won enough seats to guarantee a pro-presidential majority. Although
the elections showed improvements over previous years, observers have documented
irregularities and the opposition contested results in some locations.
Harassment of opposition supporters and limits on media freedom marred the
run-up to the February 2008 presidential election. Torture and ill-treatment
remain a problem. Limits on media freedom and freedom of religion persist.

Elections  

International observers have determined that the May 12 parliamentary elections
largely met international standards, although they have noted pre-election
irregularities, including pressure on employees to vote for the RPA,
distribution of goods and services in exchange for votes, and abuse of
administrative resources. Opposition parties held rallies without police
harassment and had access to public television, although pro-government parties
received disproportionate coverage. On election day there were reports of fraud
and double voting as well as problems in transparency, counting, tabulation, and
publication of results.  

 

On April 27 President Kocharian publicly accused Orinats Yerkir Party leader
Artur Bagdasarian of treason based on secret recordings of a February meeting
between Bagdasarian and a British diplomat, during which reportedly Bagdasarian
claimed that government officials were taking steps to rig the parliamentary
elections and asked whether the European Union could respond. No charges have
been brought against Bagdasarian.  

 

On October 23 police in the capital Yerevan detained seven opposition activists
who were informing passers-by about an October 26 rally for former Armenian
president and prospective 2008 presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian. The
group was released, but five were later charged with assaulting police.  

 

Narek Galstian, an activist with the youth group of the opposition Social
Democratic Hnchakyan Party, was beaten on November 15 by a group of unknown
assailants. Two days prior, police briefly detained Galstian and another
opposition youth activist as they posted leaflets critical of Prime Minister
(and prospective 2008 presidential candidate) Serzh Sargsian and warned them to
stop anti-government propaganda.  

 

In mid-October, leading Armenian media figures expressed concern that the
country’s television outlets were curtailing political news, including coverage
of news conferences by opposition politicians, and accused the authorities of
restricting press freedom ahead of the presidential election. On November 12,
the state tax service accused the Giumri-based independent Gala television
channel of tax evasion. The station’s leadership believes the tax inspection and
other pressures from the authorities come in response to its broadcast of a
September speech by Ter-Petrosian in which he called the government “corrupt and
mafiosi.”  

 

On November 22 the Yerevan Press Club and the “TEAM” Research Center presented
the initial results of a project analyzing eight broadcasters’ evening news
coverage of prospective presidential candidates and political party leaders
ahead of the 2008 presidential elections. The research revealed that Prime
Minister Sargsian has received disproportionately more positive coverage
compared to opposition candidates.  

 

Arrest with Possible Political Motivation  

On May 7 police arrested former minister of foreign affairs Alexander
Arzoumanian, now the head of the Civil Disobedience Movement, on charges of
money laundering. Authorities claim that Arzoumanian, obtained funds for
political activities from a fugitive Armenian-Russian businessman. Arzoumanian
maintains that the money was given to him legally by friends and not for
political purposes. Arzoumanian was released on September 6 pending
investigation.  

 

Torture and Ill-Treatment  

The death in custody of Levan Gulyan highlights concerns about continuing
torture and ill-treatment of suspects and witnesses. On May 9, 2007, Gulyan, a
restaurant owner, witnessed a fight between several individuals, which resulted
in one person being shot dead. Gulyan was called to the local police station
repeatedly for several days for questioning. On May 12, after questioning Gulyan
at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, officials informed Gulyan’s family that he
had died after supposedly jumping from a second-storey window. At the request of
the family, Armenian authorities allowed international forensic experts to
conduct an autopsy. Although the experts could not determine the circumstances
in which Gulyan fell, they concluded that the severe injuries causing his death
were consistent with a fall from a second-storey window and that “a few of the
smaller bruises and abrasions could have been caused by another force, e.g. a
punch or a blow, prior to the fall.”  

 

On August 25 Lori province prosecutor Albert Ghazarian was killed by an unknown
assailant. According to local human rights groups and media reports, during the
investigation into his death authorities subjected some witnesses to beatings
and other ill-treatment in order to extract testimony. Officials deny the
claims.  

 

On December 22, 2006, the Court of Cassation overturned the murder conviction of
three conscript soldiers, Razmik Sargsian, Musa Serobian, and Arayik Zalian,
releasing them and returning the case to prosecutors for additional
investigation. Sargsian testified that military investigators had beaten him and
threatened him with rape, coercing him into signing a confession in which he
named as accomplices Serobian and Zalian, who also claim to have been
ill-treated by investigators.  

 

Human rights groups reported that ill-treatment of military conscripts remains
widespread as a result of impunity for perpetrators. In an exceptional case,
military authorities arrested and charged with murder an officer who had in
April 2007 shot and killed Gegham Sergoian reportedly because he believed
Sergoian and another conscript were laughing at him.  



Media Freedom and Freedom of Speech  

In mid-July 2007 Armenian Public Radio ceased broadcasts of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a United States government-funded program widely
listened to in Armenia, notwithstanding that on July 3 parliament had narrowly
voted against amendments to media laws that effectively would have banned RFE/RL
and other foreign broadcasters from being rebroadcast through Armenian public
television and radio. RFE/RL is currently being rebroadcast through private
networks.  

 

Journalists continue to face threats, harassment, and criminal charges. On
September 15 unknown assailants beat Hovannes Galajian, editor of the opposition
newspaper Iskakan Iravunk and a frequent government critic, outside his office
moments after a man claiming to be from another Armenian newspaper telephoned
Galajian requesting a meeting. Vandals burned the car of Suren Baghdasarian, the
founder of Football Plus newspaper, on January 30 (his car had been similarly
vandalized a year earlier), and on February 8 vandals set fire to the car of Ara
Saghatelian, chair of the editorial board of Im Iravunk newspaper and
Panorama.am news portal, both of which often criticize government institutions
and prominent business people.  

 

On June 6 a Yerevan court handed freelance journalist Gagik Shamshian a
two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence, two years’ probation, and a fine, for
fraud, embezzlement, and “waste.” In July 2006 Shamshian had published an
article about a bank robbery for which relatives of the Nubarashen district
administration head faced charges. Shamshian reported being harassed and
assaulted in retaliation for the article, and pressed charges against his
attackers, but then prosecutors instead charged him initially with insult,
cheating, and extortion.  

 

On January 12, 2007, an appeals court lessened the sentence of Arman Babajanian,
editor of the opposition newspaper Zhamanak Yerevan, who had been convicted of
forging documents in order to evade compulsory military service. The court cut
six months from the original four-year sentence, which had been considered
unnecessarily harsh.  

 

Freedom of Religion  

At least 80 Jehovah’s Witnesses are in prison for refusing to perform military
or civilian service. In accordance with its Council of Europe obligations, in
2004 Armenia established alternative service, but the allegedly civilian service
remains under military control and regulations.  

 

Human Rights Defenders  

Armenia’s Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan received 1,353 complaints in the first six
months of 2007, mainly against city administrations and police. His 2006 report
described human rights protection in Armenia as “unsatisfactory.” He noted the
excessive use of pretrial detention, violence against journalists, and limits on
freedom of speech, and the need for a more independent judiciary.  

 

Key International Actors  

Following the annual Partnership and Cooperation Council meeting between the
European Union and Armenia in October 2007, the two parties underlined the
“importance of the respect of the rule of law, democratic principles, protection
of human rights and fundamental freedoms as essential elements in the bilateral
dialogue.” The conclusions further stressed the importance the EU attached to
the government’s ensuring that the 2008 presidential election is held in full
compliance with international standards.  

 

The United States presidential budget request for 2008 proposes reducing funding
for civil society programs in Armenia, including human rights programs, by 66
percent, from US$8.3 million to US$2.9 million.  

 

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on
Armenia in January acknowledging that Armenia’s revised constitution is
consistent with European standards but encouraging Armenia to fully implement
electoral, media, and justice system reforms. It expressed disappointment over
Armenia’s failure to introduce a genuine civilian alternative to military
service.