background briefing

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Recommendations

To the Armenian Government:

  • Investigate the use of excessive force by the police and other security forces on the night of April 12-13, 2004. Bring to account all security officials who used excessive force.

  • Cease the use of explosives and electric shock equipment for the control of non-violent public demonstrations.

  • Provide training to all members of the security forces on international and domestic human rights standards and hold accountable all members of the security forces who deviate from these standards.

  • Investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in police custody and prosecute those found responsible for such acts.

  • Comply with Council of Europe’s calls to repeal the use of administrative detention and cease using arrest as a means of pressuring the opposition.

  • Investigate the attacks on journalists and prosecute those responsible.

  • Enact legislation guaranteeing the right to peaceful assembly and establishing a procedure to ensure that this right is respected. Request the Council of Europe to review the draft legislation before it is enacted.

  • Cease the practice of restricting travel of opposition supporters in order to limit their right to freedom of assembly.

  • Repeal criminal defamation provisions in the Criminal Code and drop all current charges against opposition members for criminal defamation. Ensure the trials against opposition members currently in pre-trial detention comply with international fair trial procedures.

  • Comply with the OSCE recommendations made in their final report on the 2003 presidential election, in particular to bring to account those responsible for election fraud and other violations.

    To the International Community:

    To the OSCE, Council of Europe, European Union, European and United States Governments:

  • Strongly condemn and demand an end to the abuses committed in Armenia described in this briefing paper, and promptly condemn any new abuses that occur;

  • Call for all officials implicated in abuses to be brought to justice;

  • Continue to press the Armenian government to implement the OSCE recommendations in the final report on the 2003 presidential elections.

  • The European Union and the United States should closely monitor any funding provided to the Armenian government, particularly security-related funding, to ensure that it does not go towards security agencies implicated in abuses.

  • The European Union should make better use of the periodic reviews of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Armenia to urge the Armenian government to bring its laws and practices into compliance with international standards, with particular attention to the violations documented in this briefing paper.

    To the Council of Europe:

  • The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Monitoring Committee should send an ad-hoc mission to Armenia to investigate the recent abuses and present its findings to the Assembly’s plenary session in June, formulating specific recommendations for steps the authorities need to take to address the ongoing crisis and setting a specific deadline for meeting them.

  • The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers should put the ongoing crisis in Armenia on the agenda of its upcoming ministerial meeting and call on the Armenian government take urgent measures to adhere with its obligations stemming from its membership with the Council of Europe.

  • The Council of Europe Secretary-General should appoint independent experts to investigate the serious ongoing abuses taking place and call on the Armenian government to take urgent measures to address them.

  •  The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) should continue to monitor closely torture in Armenia and should consider ad-hoc visits to Armenia with a particular focus on the places of detention where those arrested in connection with the recent protests have been held.

    To the European Bank on Reconstruction and Development (EBRD):

  • Take into account the findings contained in this briefing paper when assessing Armenia’s compliance with Article 1 of the Agreement Establishing the Bank, and make clear to the Armenian authorities that the nature and level of engagement will be contingent on measurable progress in human rights. In so doing, the EBRD should set specific benchmarks for such progress.

    To the World Bank:

  • The abuses documented in this briefing paper undermine the World Bank’s goal of eradicating poverty in Armenia. The 2003 Republic of Armenia Poverty Reduction Strategy highlighted the need to “protect the economic, social, and legal guarantees of human rights and liberties,” and identified governance and public participation in the political process as key elements in eliminating poverty.  In its engagement with the Armenian government, the World Bank should reinforce OSCE and Council of Europe recommendations for reform that would serve the broader goal of empowering the poor.



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