• Armenia: New Rebuff to Broadcaster
    Dec 16, 2010
    Armenia has denied a broadcast license to an independent television station, A1+, despite a European Court of Human Rights judgment that previous denials violated freedom of expression.
  • Armenia: Skewed Prosecution Over 2008 Clashes
    Feb 25, 2009
    Armenia has yet to hold the police accountable for their excessive use of force a year after a day of clashes with protesters that led to at least 10 deaths, Human Rights Watch said in a comprehensive report today.
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  • Human Rights in Armenia

    More than three years after street clashes between police and opposition protesters turned deadly, meaningful accountability for the excessive use of force by law enforcement remains remote.  Armenia decriminalized libel in May 2010, but amendments to the civil code introduced high monetary fines for libel and led to an increase in lawsuits against newspapers, particularly by public officials. In some cases the excessive damages awarded by courts threaten the survival of newspapers.  Authorities continue to restrict freedom of assembly. Torture and ill-treatment in police custody persist, and the government has failed to effectively investigate a troubling number of deaths in custody, as well as non-combat deaths in the military.

Reports

Armenia

  • Send the Caucasus a Strong Message from Paris
    Oct 6, 2011
    Human rights need to be high on President Sarkozy’s agenda for his lightning-trip through the South Caucasus.
  • Armenia: New Rebuff to Broadcaster
    Dec 16, 2010
    Armenia has denied a broadcast license to an independent television station, A1+, despite a European Court of Human Rights judgment that previous denials violated freedom of expression.
  • Letter to President Serzh Sargsyan regarding the negative impact on media pluralism in Armenia
    Jun 15, 2010
    Human Rights Watch is writing to express its concern regarding the negative impact on media pluralism and public access to diversity of information and opinion in Armenia, recent amendments to the “Law on Television and Radio,” are likely to have.
  • Letter to Prosecutor General of Armenia Regarding the Death of Vahan Khalafian in Custody
    Apr 21, 2010
    Human Rights Watch is writing to express its profound concern about the death of 24-year old Vahan Khalafian, who sustained a fatal injury while in the custody of the Charentsavan police station on April 13, and to urge you to conduct a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into circumstances of his death in accordance with Armenia’s international obligations.
  • Universal Periodic Review: Armenia
    Nov 15, 2009
    This submission highlights several key areas of concern regarding Armenia’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, including election-related and post-election violence; lack of accountability for excessive use of force by law enforcement officials; violations of the right to freedom of assembly and expression; torture and inhuman and degrading treatment in custody; official harassment and attacks on human rights defenders; and the right to access to controlled medicines.
  • Armenia: Another Chance for Reconcilation?
    May 31, 2009
    There will be elections on Sunday in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. The poll will be the first test of Armenian democracy since the February 2008 presidential election, which was marred by irregularities and culminated in a violent confrontation between the authorities and the opposition.
  • Armenia: Skewed Prosecution Over 2008 Clashes
    Feb 25, 2009
    Armenia has yet to hold the police accountable for their excessive use of force a year after a day of clashes with protesters that led to at least 10 deaths, Human Rights Watch said in a comprehensive report today.
  • Letter to the Armenian Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Regarding the Imprisonment of Arman Babajanian
    Jul 6, 2008
    Dear Prime Minister Sargsyan and Minister Danielyan, We are writing to encourage you to ensure the release of the well-known journalist and editor, Arman Babajanian, from prison based on his pending request for parole.
  • Letter to the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the US State Department about Concerns in Armenia, Az
    Jun 24, 2008
    Dear Secretary Kramer, We believe that your forthcoming trips to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia provide important opportunities for raising key human rights concerns with the respective governments. Below we outline our main concerns in each country as well as recommendations for bringing the countries in line with their international commitments.
  • Armenia: Leading Human Rights Defender Assaulted
    May 21, 2008
    As part of their investigation into yesterday’s assault of a leading human rights defender, the Armenian authorities should investigate the extent to which the victim’s human rights work was a motive for the attack, Human Rights Watch said today. Mikael Danielian, the Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association, was wounded by an air gun on May 21, 2008 in Yerevan, the country’s capital. Danielian was not seriously wounded.
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