03.08.2008 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Commentary by Armenian elected human rights defender (ombudsman) Armen Harutyunyan on situation in Armenia (pre-trial detention; double standards in implementation of justice; authoritarian tendencies in state government) ("Can Human Rights In Armenia Improve?") [ID 24389]

Document(s): Open document

02.07.2008 - Source: Freedom House

Annual survey of political rights and civil liberties 2007 ("Freedom in the World 2008") [ID 23841]

Document(s): Open document

06.2008 - Source: Freedom House

Report on democratisation (electoral process, civil society, independent media, governance) and rule of law (corruption) ("Nations in Transit 2008") [ID 23843]

Document(s): Open document

28.05.2008 - Source: Amnesty International

Human rights overview ("Annual Report 2008") [ID 23538]

"Freedoms of assembly and expression were restricted. One person died in custody in disputed circumstances. Physical assaults on Jehovah’s Witnesses were reportedly not investigated. The authorities failed to introduce a genuinely civilian alternative to military service and conscientious objectors continued to be imprisoned.
There were widespread and credible reports of restrictions on the right to freedom of assembly. Opposition parties reported abuses of administrative bureaucracy during the May parliamentary election campaign to obstruct legal demonstrations. In May and October police used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations by opposition parties."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22940]

"The government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained. Citizens were not able to freely change their government; authorities beat pretrial detainees; the National Security Service (NSS) and the national police force acted with impunity; authorities engaged in arbitrary arrest and detention; prison conditions were cramped and unhealthy, although slowly improving; authorities imposed restrictions on citizens' privacy, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly. Journalists continued to practice self-censorship, and the government and laws restricted religious freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse remained problems, as well as trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and societal harassment of homosexuals. There were reports of forced labor."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20101]

"The government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained. Citizens were not able freely to change their government; authorities beat pretrial detainees; the national security service and the national police force acted with impunity; authorities engaged in arbitrary arrest and detention; prison conditions were cramped and unhealthy, although slowly improving; authorities imposed restrictions on citizens' privacy, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. Journalists practiced self‑censorship, and the government and laws restricted religious freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse were problems, as were trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and societal harassment of homosexuals. There were reports of forced labor.

There were some improvements during the year. The implementation of constitutional reforms ratified in 2005 led to some increase in judicial independence and for the first time gave citizens direct access to the Constitutional Court. Penalties for trafficking were toughened and a court for the first time imposed financial, as well as criminal, penalties on traffickers."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Government and its agents did not commit any politically motivated killings ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20102]

"The government and its agents did not commit any politically motivated killings, and unlike in 2005, neither the government nor advocacy groups reported any deaths from hazing or other mistreatment during the year."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Very few buildings and other facilities were accessible to persons with disabilities ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20372]

"The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, and the provision of other state services; however, discrimination was a problem. The law and a special government decree mandate accessibility to buildings for persons with disabilities, but in practice very few buildings and other facilities were accessible to them."

Document(s): Open document

19.01.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

President Robert Kocharian rejects Human Rights Watch criticism of his administration; accusations included restriction of civil rights, bullying of opponents and tolerance towards police brutality ("Kocharian rejects Human Rights Watch criticism") [#42715],  [ID 2973]

Document(s): Open document

01.2006 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Annual report on human rights situation in 2005 ("World Report 2006") [#42269],  [ID 2974]

Document(s): Open document

01.2006 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Government failed to improve its human rights record; remaining problems are pressure on opposition, corruption, too strong executive branch and human rights violations by law enforcement authorities ("World Report 2006") [#42310],  [ID 17649]

"Although the international community continued in 2005 to look favorably on Armenia for its economic performance, the government has failed to improve its human rights record. The crackdown on opposition parties and supporters in 2004 led to fewer public demonstrations in 2005, and, consequently, less overt government pressure on the opposition. However, the authorities continued to use their powers to limit political activity.
In July 2005, after years of failing to meet Council of Europe obligations to amend the constitution to introduce a system of stronger checks and balances among the different branches of government, Armenian authorities secured the approval of Council of Europe legal experts on a raft of constitutional amendments. The opposition (and media freedom activists) were critical, saying that too much power would remain with the executive, and some opposition parties decided to campaign against the amendments, which were to go to a referendum in November. The government made little progress on measures against corruption, a widespread problem in the country, and forced land aquisition by government-backed urban developers resulted in allegations of abuses against homeowners.
Law enforcement authorities restrict freedom of assembly and use torture and other violent and intimidating practices when carrying out their work. The authorities have a history of putting pressure on human rights defenders who are critical of the government. In 2005, such pressure extended to the ombudsperson’s office."

Document(s): Open document

26.05.2004 - Source: Amnesty International

Annual Report 2004 (covering 2003) ("Annual Report 2004") [#22630],  [ID 2975]

Document(s): Open document
Open document

04.03.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Government critics question independence of Armenia's new human rights ombudsman ("Armenia: Ombudsman Furore") [#20046],  [ID 2976]

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003 ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19718],  [ID 2977]

Document(s): Open document

04.08.2003 - Source: Freedom House

Report on democratization (electoral process, civil society, independent media) and rule of law (corruption) ("Nations in transit 2003") [#15267],  [ID 2978]

Document(s): Open document

28.05.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

Annual Report 2003 (covering 2002) ("Annual Report 2003") [#12997],  [ID 2979]

Document(s): Open document
Open document Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002 ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11840],  [ID 2980]

Document(s): Open document

14.01.2003 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Annual report on human rights situation in 2002 ("World report 2003") [#10291],  [ID 2981]

Document(s): Open document

28.11.2002 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

8th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Vienna, 28 - 29 June 2002: Final Report - Armenia ("8th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Vienna, 28 - 29 June 2002: Final Report - Armenia - co-funded by the EU Odysseus Programme") [#9877],  [ID 2982]

Document(s): Arm-cois2002-rep.pdf

10.2002 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Analysis of overall political and social situation; situation of minorities (e.g. Yezidi Kurds, Jehovah's Witnesses); no efficent protection of women against domestic violence ("Analysen und Hintergründe ") [#10328],  [ID 2983]

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: Sakharov Armenian Human Rights Centre

Report on the social and economic situation and the actual situation in respect to human rights and freedoms in the Republic of Armenia ("Analytical Report (period covered: 1 September 2001 to 30 September 2002)") [#9949],  [ID 2984]

Document(s): Open document

09.2002 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Report on joint mission regarding the human rights and socio-economic situation, including the question of return ("Reisebericht Armenien 15.-21. Juli 2002") [#8888],  [ID 2985]

Document(s): acc-arm0902.pdf

28.05.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

Annual report 2002 ("Annual report 2002") [#7209],  [ID 2986]

Document(s): Open document

28.05.2002 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Annual report 2002 (events of 2001) ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: The Balkans, the Caucasus, Europe, Central Asia and North America") [#7130],  [ID 2987]

Document(s): Open document
02264arm.pdf

16.01.2002 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Annual report on human rights situation in 2001 ("World report 2002") [#5307],  [ID 2988]

Document(s): Open document

10.2001 - Source: Sakharov Armenian Human Rights Centre

Report on the political situation and the actual situation in respect to human rights and freedoms in the Republic of Armenia ("Analytical Report (period covered 1 September 2000 - 30 September 2001)") [#7741],  [ID 2989]

Document(s): Open document

30.05.2001 - Source: Amnesty International

Annual report 2001 ("Annual report 2001") [#1918],  [ID 2990]

Document(s): 01146arm.pdf
Open document

05.2000 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

5th UNHCR Country of Origin Information Workshop, Bratislava, 13 - 14 December 1999: Final Report - Armenia ("5th UNHCR Country of Origin Information Workshop, Bratislava, 13 - 14 December 1999: Final Report - Armenia") [#353],  [ID 2991]

Document(s): Open document