Voice of America
July 10 2008

Armenia Aftermath

10 July 2008

Four months after undergoing a disputed presidential election, Armenia
is still feeling its effects. David Kramer, U.S. State Department
Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, ended a
two-day visit on June 25 to Armenia to discuss ways of addressing
human rights concerns and restoring Armenia to the democratic path.

Thousands of Armenians took part in mass protests following incumbent
Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan’s presidential win in the February 19
election. Citing government interference and manipulation, civilians
in support of opposition candidate and former Armenian president Levon
Ter-Petrossian called the election fraudulent and demanded a
re-run. On March 1, police clashed with protestors in Yerevan,
resulting in the death of at least eight civilians and two security
force officers. More than one-hundred-thirty people were
injured. Hours after the violent outbreak, outgoing President Robert
Kocharian issued a twenty-day state of emergency, suspending public
assembly and controlling all independent media.

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, an independent human
rights monitor, more than one hundred civilians have been charged with
offenses related to the March 1 events. While President Sargsyan
claims that none of the arrests during the crackdown were related to
political expression, dozens of opposition activists still remain in
prison due to their involvement in the `mass disturbances.’

`We hope Armenia gets back on a democratic path and stays on that
path,’ Assistant Secretary of State Kramer said after talks with Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan and other senior Armenian officials in late
June. Kramer urged Armenian authorities to initiate full restoration
of rights of assembly and media freedom, release those detained on
politically motivated charges, launch a credible investigation of the
events that took place in March, and hold dialogue with opposition
leaders.

The U.S. has helped Armenia in its economic goals since its
independence in 1991 and continues to support the country’s democratic
development. The U.S. calls on the government to seriously address the
issues that surfaced during the last election and remedy any
inconsistencies with international democratic standards.

`We recognize that there will be ups and downs in the future as well,’
Mr. Kramer said. `What we hope to see is that those ups significantly
outweigh any future downs.’

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