MASS VIOLATIONS CONTINUE

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[05:24 pm] 10 December, 2008

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor office (HCAV) issued a statement
today which holds,

We receive December 10, International Human Rights Day, with numerous
human rights violations taken place during 2008.

This year the situation of human rights did not make any
progress. There have been mass violations, moreover the warnings for
human rights violations were deliberately out of attention. Tens of
citizens were pursued for their political views. Ashot Manukyan, the
head of Pan Armenian Movement-Lori regional council was sentenced
to a 6-year imprisonment based on obviously false testimonies. 47
citizens of Lori region, who were representatives of the opposition,
were illegally brought to police departments and their houses
were illegally searched. The well known murders, the murders of
Lori regional Prosecutor and of the 4 citizens in Spitak town are
still unrevealed. Since 2000 about ten cases of murder have not
been disclosed.

With this statement we are expressing not only our concern about the
extremely bad situation of human rights, but also deliberate inactions
of authorities in restoring the violated human rights. This will lead
to legally formed totalitarianism in the country.

We cannot tolerate existence of such a situation and call all the
citizens, public and political organizations not to lose their hope and
become disappointed, but to be decisive in the fight for establishing
a state system defending human dignity in Armenia.

Totalitarianism won’t work.