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ALERT – ARMENIA

22 February 2008

Journalists beaten, prevented from taking photographs in violence at
polling stations

SOURCE: Human Rights Watch

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is an abridged Human Rights Watch press release:

Armenia: Violence at Polling Stations Mars Elections
Assailants Target Opposition Activists, Observers and Journalists

(New York, February 22, 2008) – The Armenian government should investigate
alleged assaults on election observers and journalists that marred the
presidential election on February 19, 2008, Human Rights Watch said today.
According to victim testimonies taken by Human Rights Watch, assailants
beat and threatened opposition party activists, domestic observers, and
journalists who attempted to document election fraud at polling stations
during the presidential vote.

"These election-day attacks targeted the very people trying to ensure the
integrity of Armenia’s vote," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia
director at Human Rights Watch. "The Armenian government should carry out
independent and speedy investigations to ensure justice is served and to
send the message that intimidation won’t be tolerated."

On February 20, the Central Election Commission declared Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsian the winner of the elections with 52.8 percent of the vote.
Sargsian had the backing of current president Robert Kocharian. Armenia’s
first president Levon Ter-Petrosian was the main opposition challenger and
won 21.5 percent, according to official tallies.

In nine cases documented by Human Rights Watch, assailants intimidated,
threatened, and even violently attacked opposition party activists,
domestic observers and journalists at eight polling stations in and around
the capital, Yerevan. Victims variously described their assailants as "big
guys," "athletic," "tough," and apparently supporters of Sargsian. Most
victims had been attempting to expose what they believed to be violations
of electoral rules, such as incorrect voters’ lists, intimidation of
voters, violations of the right to a secret ballot, and ballot-box
stuffing. None of the victims was able or willing to return to the polling
station to continue observing the voting.

In several incidents, the assaults took place in the presence of police and
polling station officials who did not intervene, and in one case a police
officer appeared to assist the assailants. Some victims reported the
attacks to police, who are investigating.

Human Rights Watch called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) to look into election-related violence and ensure that its
final report on the vote records these incidents.

(. . .)

At least three journalists were attacked. Lusine Barsegian of the newspaper
Haikakan Zhamankak was beaten and had her camera and voice recorder stolen
when she attempted to document what she believed to be intimidation of
voters at a polling station in Yerevan’s Erebuni district. A cameraman from
the independent A1+ television station was beaten and had his camera taken
at the same polling station. Two domestic election observers, Armen
Matirosian, a member of parliament from the opposition Heritage party, and
Zarui Postandjian, an observer from a nongovernmental organization, were
also attacked at this polling station after they tried to raise alleged
election violations with polling station officials.

The OSCE election monitors stated that the elections were held "mostly in
line" with international commitments.

Tens of thousands of Ter-Petrosian supporters took to the streets in
downtown Yerevan on February 20 and 21 to protest the outcome of the
elections and what they believe to be widespread electoral fraud.

"The Armenian authorities should ensure that no harm is done to peaceful
demonstrators," said Cartner. "Armenia claims to be a democratic country,
and that means allowing people to exercise their right to freedom of
assembly."

(. . .)

Details of Assaults

Yerevan

Polling station 13/16

Lusine Barsegian, a journalist for Haikakan Zhamankak told Human Rights
Watch she went to polling station 13/16 in the Erebuni district of Yerevan
at approximately 2 p.m. on February 19. When she arrived, she saw that the
polling station was very overcrowded. Some unidentified people were talking
to voters in what she believed to be an attempt to influence their votes,
and other people were observing the voters closely as they cast their
ballots. Barsegian attempted to interview the central election commission
representative responsible for the polling station about the apparent
violations. At that point, policemen and a few unidentified men forced her
out of the polling station. Barsegian protested, saying, "I have the right
to be here. I have the right to take photographs."

With the assistance of Armen Matirosian, a member of parliament from the
Heritage party, who was an authorized election observer, Barsegian again
entered to the polling station. When she again attempted to take
photographs, an unidentified man in plainclothes kicked her in the stomach
and grabbed her camera and voice recorder. Other men also punched and
kicked Matirosian. According to Barsegian, police stood by and did not
intervene. After this attack, Barsegian and Matirosian fled the station and
filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office.

When Zarui Postandjian, an observer from the nongovernmental organization
Against State Violence, heard about the incident, she went to polling
station 13/16. Upon arriving, she saw a severely overcrowded polling
station and police and unidentified people observing voters as they marked
their ballots. Postandjian has stated that she tried to take photos of the
polling station when a policeman came up from behind her and hit her. At
the same time, an unidentified man tried to grab her camera, and both he
and the policeman punched her. Another observer came to assist her, and
they both fled. Postandjian did not return to the polling station.
Postandjian filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office, which opened a
criminal investigation.

(. . .)

Kentron district

Hovsep Hovsepian, a cameraman with the independent A1+ television station
heard about election violations at polling station 9/6 in the Kentron
district of Yerevan. Hovsepian told Human Rights Watch that when he got out
of his car at the polling station, a large group of unidentified men who
had gathered outside the polling station attacked him and attempted to take
his camera. When Hovsepian resisted, one of the men kicked him in the
stomach and grabbed the camera. The assailants took the video cassette out
of the camera, smashed it, and prepared to destroy the camera as well. At
that moment, the driver of the car came out and the men began to attack him
instead. Hovsepian and the driver broke free of the attackers, returned to
the car and left the polling station.

(. . .)

To read the full release, see:
meni18128.htm

For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on Armenia, please visit:
;c=armen i

For further information, contact Jane Buchanan (English, Russian), New
York, tel: +1 212 216 1857, mobile: +1 917 553 4315; Veronika Szente
Goldston (English, French, Finnish, Swedish, Hungarian), The Hague, tel:
+31 70 392 6700, mobile: +31 65 555 0144; Reed Brody (English, French,
Spanish, Portuguese), Brussels, mobile: +32 498 625 786, or Human Rights
Watch, 350 Fifth Ave., 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3299, U.S.A., tel: +1
212 290 4700, fax: +1 212 736 1300, e-mail: hrwnyc@hrw.org, Internet:

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of Human
Rights Watch. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit Human Rights Watch.
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From: Baghdasarian