US STATE DEPARTMENT HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT CRITICIZES ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES – AGAIN

Tert.am
15:21 ~U 12.03.10

The US Department of State annually submits country reports on human
rights practices to the US Congress. The 2009 report, which covers 194,
was recently made available and can be found on the US Department of
State official website.

The comprehensive report also included Armenia; in particular, it
made mention of the "significantly flawed February 2008 presidential
election" and the protests that followed, which resulted in the deaths
of 10 civilians. The aftermath "continued to fuel a political crisis
that remained largely unresolved during the year and resulted in
numerous human rights abuses."

The preface to the section on Armenia paints a grim picture for the
state of human rights in the country in 2009. The preface, in part,
reads as follows:

"Authorities restricted the right of citizens to freely change
their government in mayoral elections in Yerevan. During the year
authorities subjected citizens, particularly those considered by the
government to be political opponents, to arbitrary arrest, detention,
and imprisonment for their political activities; lengthy pretrial
detention also continued to be a problem.

"Authorities continued to use harassment and intrusive application of
bureaucratic measures to intimidate and retaliate against political
opponents. Authorities used force to disperse political demonstrations
and constrain citizens seeking to publicize them. Police beat pretrial
detainees and failed to provide due process in some cases.

"The National Security Service (NSS) and police acted with impunity
in committing alleged human rights abuses. In spite of renovations
and new construction, prison conditions remained cramped and unhealthy.

Authorities denied citizens the right to a fair trial. News outlets,
especially in the broadcast media, practiced a high degree of
self-censorship, and authorities continued to restrict media pluralism,
including through a moratorium on renewal of broadcasting licenses.

"There were multiple attacks against journalists, and the government
rarely identified or prosecuted perpetrators. Authorities restricted
freedom of assembly, rejecting numerous applications filed by
political opponents to hold demonstrations at requested venues,
and often prevented spontaneous assembly by citizens. Corruption
remained widespread, and authorities did not make determined efforts
to combat it.

"Authorities and laws restricted religious freedom. Violence against
women and spousal abuse, trafficking in persons, and discrimination
against persons with disabilities and homosexual individuals was
also reported."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress