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September 25, 2014 was marked by the presentation of the Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Armenia in 2013, in Congress Hotel.

The Report provides a summary of the incidences of oppression and persecution, assessment of the compliance by the Republic of Armenia with its commitments, including the recommendations on Armenia of 2010 by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders (SR).

Artur Sakunts, Chairman of HCA Vanadzor, stated in his speech that the year of 2013 abounded in significant political events, namely: the RA presidential elections, failure to sign the Association Agreement, and issuance of the decree on joining the Customs Union. All these events also affected the civil society. He mentioned that the Report covered a number of areas, namely National Strategy on Human Rights and its action plan, as well as the intimidation and attacks against human rights defenders and human rights organizations, and misinformation and anti-propaganda against human rights activists, especially those who defend the rights of vulnerable groups.

The report provides a set of quantitative data suggesting that in 2013, the municipality of Yerevan received 264 notifications on public assemblies. Two of the notifications were returned for missing the set deadline, and in 20 cases, the municipality restricted the assembly route. While only 20 public assemblies were officially restricted, the police often imposed arbitrary, unnecessary and ungrounded restrictions to disperse the assembly. At the protests of 2013, the police mostly used violence against protesters and journalists. The protesters were often arrested, apprehended and intimidated. Administrative or criminal liability actions were brought to many of them.

The Report covers 54 incidences, with numerous rights violations.

Artur Sakunts also noted that after visiting Armenia in 2010, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders presented 34 recommendations: 23 – to the Government, 4 – to the Ombudsman’s Office, 5- to the international community and donor organizations and 2 – to human rights defenders. According to assessment by the HCA Vanadzor, the RA Government fully implemented 2 recommendations, partially implemented 10 recommendations and failed to implement ​​11 recommendations. The Ombudsman’s Office fully implemented 1 recommendation, partially implemented 2 recommendations and failed to implement 1 recommendation. As for human rights defenders, they implemented fully one of the recommendations and implemented partially the other one.

At the end of his speech, A. Sakunts presented to the RA Government the recommendations on the protection of the human rights defenders.

At the report presentation, Inessa Petrosyan, advocate of Shant Harutyunyan, took the floor. She recounted the events of November 5 2013  as well as some preceding and subsequent events and facts of violation of Shant Harutyunyan’s and his friends’ rights by the police and apparent infringements during the investigation.

Anna Nikoghosyan, Executive Director of Society without Violence NGO introduced the problems of the NGOs engaged in the protection of the rights of women and LGBTI persons. She also cited various examples of violations and harassment by the police and strangers as well as the atmosphere of impunity in those fields entailed by the inconsistent reaction of the police.

Advocate Ani Vardanyan, lawyer at Helsinki Committee of Armenia mentioned in her speech the practices by the police of taking activists to various police units. She described such practices as a special mechanism to disperse public assemblies. Ani Vardanyan also presented noteworthy details on actions brought against activists in courts of law. She also mentioned that the police officers started apprehending activists during the protests against the public transport fare increase back in summer 2013 when the police officers apprehended citizens without any grounds and later stated that they neglected the legal demand of the representative of authority. Moreover, it was unclear what they meant by saying legal demand. Nowadays, the apprehension is supported by violation of the right to free assembly, and the advocate expresses her concerns over the fact that there is a precedent of bringing criminal charges against persons apprehended at public assemblies.

In her speech, RA Deputy Ombudsman Tatevik Khachatryan presented the Ombudsman’s efforts for drafting statements and reports on activists and human rights defenders as well as for examining and recording the infringements on their rights. Tatevik Khachatryan also noted that the RA Ombudsman took measures to challenge the demand of the Prosecutor’s Office to the mass media to expose their sources of information, since such a demand was in conflict with the international regulations of freedom of the press.

Tatevik Khachatryan also referred to the cases covered by the Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Armenia in 2013 and made some observations to that effect.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Meruzhan Hakobyan, Head of RA Police Legal Department, who took the floor at the presentation of the Report and clarified the raised issues, insisted that the police were ready to start a dialogue and that he disagreed with the assessment of the police in the report.

The speeches of the reporters were followed by a lively discussion; the details will be provided in our upcoming video.