Human Rights in Armenia

Human Rights in Armenia

While the media has a degree of independence, the freedom of press in Armenia is limited. Some independent channels, such as A1+, Noyan Tapan, and Russian NTV, have had their frequencies taken away by the government. Journalists covering a demonstration against President Robert Kocharyan were attacked when police intervened to detain the protestors

In January 2011, the Committee to Protect Journalists – international media watchdog – criticized the Armenian government for maintaining a tight grip on the country’s broadcast media and accused them of routinely harassing local journalists challenging them.

There have been reports of police brutality and arbitrary arrests carried out. Beatings and torture of detainees before trial is used to obtain confessions or information. Demonstrations against the government have been dispersed with force, and opposition leaders have been detained. Abuse is common in the army and is suspected as the cause of many suspicious deaths.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has a considerable monopoly in Armenia, possessing more rights than any other registered religion. Other religious minorities include Russian Orthodox Christians, Syriac Christians, Greek Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, Yazidis, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

On May 12, 2007, Levon Gulyan, who was called to the police as a witness to a murder case, died in the Police Main Department of Criminal Investigations after allegedly being beaten to death and thrown out a window by Hovik Tamamyan, the First Deputy Chief of the Police Main Department of Criminal Investigations. Police say that Gulyan slipped and fell down the first floor while trying to escape police custody.

The Human Rights in Armenia are better than those in most former Soviet Union republics. However, there are still many problems. Human Rights in Armenia are most similar to those in their bordering neighbor, Georgia.

Based on Armenia's 2012 Human Rights report "the most significant human rights problems during the year were limitations on the right of citizens to change their government, corruption and lack of transparency in government, and the limited independence of the judiciary."

According to the World Health Organization, between 10% and 60% of Armenian women suffered domestic abuse and violence in 2002; the uncertainty of the data was due to the under reporting of domestic violence in Armenia. Under reporting is said to occur because of the treatment of domestic violence as a private family matter There are no well-established laws against domestic aggression and gender-based prejudice in Armenia. Furthermore, divorcing a husband , even an abusive one is considered as social disgrace.

Several violent incidents occurred during the campaign period in Yerevan, including assaults on opposition party Armenian National Congress (ANC) candidate Babken Garoyan and three other ANC members on April 15, and on ANC candidate Karen Tovmasyan on April 17

Flaws in the conduct of May 6 legislative elections included the misuse of government resources to support the ruling party, credible allegations of vote buying, deficiencies in the complaints and appeals process, and continued shortcomings in the electoral code despite improvements.

According to the State Department report, the Women’s Resource Center, another Armenian NGO, received almost 900 calls to its hotline in the first half of 2012. “The center’s shelter served 19 women with 23 children,” added the report.

One such town, Ararat, was the scene of the most recent domestic violence death reported by the group. Diana Nahapetian, a local resident, died from multiple stab wounds reportedly inflicted by her husband.

In another recent case reported by the Armenian press, a jealous husband likewise repeatedly stabbed his young wife after discovering that she uses a popular online social network. According to Lida Minasian, another Society Without Violence activist, doctors managed to save the woman’s life.