Armenian civic forum condemns authorities’ anti-democratic policy

A1+ web site
11 May 04

11 May: “People in our country face violence every day, rigged
elections have become a norm and we live in an artificial information
blockade,” members of an initiative group, which includes about 40
public organizations, stated at a forum called “For and against civic
will” today.

A member of the Nadezhda [Hope] public organization, Karen Akopyan,
believes that the time has come when every citizen should feel guilty
of the existing situation.

The president of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, Avetik Ishkhanyan,
believes that our society currently permits the authorities to drown
the entire people with their illegal actions. The forum’s key aim is
to set up a movement for the protection of human rights.

Today’s forum adopted a statement which said: “Gross human rights
violations in Armenia, deviation from the democratic path and the
authorities’ actions promote the formation of an atmosphere of
lawlessness.”

In their statement, the representatives of the civic society demanded
that all political prisoners be released, bureaucrats who violated
constitutional rights be punished and citizens’ rights to free access
to information be ensured. In this connection, the importance of
providing the A1+ TV company with a frequency was underlined.