Human rights in Armenia

Human rights in Armenia are better than those in most former Soviet republics and have drawn closer to acceptable standards, especially economically. Still, there are several considerable problems. Overall, Armenia's human rights record is similar to that of Georgia's. Armenia has been labeled as "partly free" by organizations such as Freedom House. [http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2005&country=6686 Freedom House: Annual Report 2005: Armenia] ]

Political freedom

Since the ouster of Levon Ter-Petrossian as president, political freedom has seen some improvement. Ter-Petrossian's administration saw constitutional change that secured more power for the president than the parliament. He also banned nine political parties (including, notably the Armenian Revolutionary Federation). Ter-Petrossian's semi-autocratic style of governing and his gradualist approach to solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict led to his ousting and the succession of Robert Kocharyan as president.

Economic freedom

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia has been making a steady transition from a centralized economy to a free market economy. Armenia is the most economically free state in the Commonwealth of Independent States. According to the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked at 27, tied with Japan and the Bahamas, and was categorized as a "mostly free" country. [ [http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/ 2006 Index of Economic Freedom] ] However, corruption and a high degree of income inequality remains a problem. [ [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41668.htm U.S. Department of State Report] ]

Police brutality

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. [ [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.htm?tbl=RSDCOI&page=research&id=43cfae9a20 Human Rights Watch World Report 2006] ]

Freedom of expression and of the media

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. [ [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/arm-summary-eng Amnesty International Report 2005] ]

Television

Other than the Gyumri-based GALA, virtually all Armenian TV stations , including the Yerevan-based national networks, are controlled by or loyal to the government. The only major private network that regularly aired criticism of the government was controversially forced off the air in 2002. [http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2008/03/73EC02AE-DD93-458B-AD1C-10E76D08552C.ASP "Embattled TV Raising Money To Stay On Air"] , Armenia Liberty (RFE/RL), March 19, 2008.]

2008 State of Emergency

Following the 2008 Armenian presidential election protests, President Kocharian controversially declared a 20-day State of Emergency on March 1, and used it to ban all public gatherings and censor all media (both Internet and in print) to include only information sponsored by the state. Also, the authorities closed several opposition newspapers along with their websites, including A1+ and Haykakan Zhamanak. Furthermore, the government blocked access to the YouTube website which contained videos from the March 1 protest and late night clashes with police that showed special forces firing automatic weapons directly into the crowd. Also blocked was the radio transmission and website access to Armenian Liberty, a service of Radio Free Europe.

Freedom of religion

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. By and large, Armenia's Muslim community (once comprised of Azeris and Kurds) is virtually nonexistent due to population exchange between Armenia and Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Yazidis and the Jehovah's Witnesses are the most harassed religious minorities in Armenia. Since Armenia's independence, the Jehovah's Witnesses have attempted to convert Armenians to their faith, believing many of them to have adopted the communist doctrine of atheism during the Soviet years. Feeling a threat to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian government has continuously harassed them using such methods as preventing them from registering as a religious group and imprisoning them for their refusal to serve in the military.

The Yazidis came to Armenia during the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape religious persecution. According to the 2001 Census, there are about 40,000 Yazidis in Armenia. [http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/51.pdf Information from the 2001 Armenian National Census] ] According to the 2004 U.S. Department of State human rights report, the Yazidis are subjected to harassment in Armenia, including the hazing of Yazidi army conscripts and poor police responses to crimes committed against the Yazidis. A high percentage of Yazidi children do not attend school, both due to poverty and a lack of teachers who speak their native language. [ [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41668.htm U.S. Department of State Report] ] [ [http://kurdistan.org/Current-Updates/yezidi.html Denge Ezidiyan article] ]

Democracy Rating

The Economist magazine rates Armenia as a "hybrid regime", which they consider to be some form of democratic government". However, they gave Armenia a very low place, and noted that it could be easily "tipped into an outright authoritarian regime". [http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/DEMOCRACY_INDEX_2007_v3.pdf]

References

External links

* [http://hrw.org/doc/?t=europe&c=armeni Human Rights Watch: Armenia]
* [http://hra.am Human Rights in Armenia website]
* [http://www.ombuds.am/main/en/ Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia]
* [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/178/ Censorship in Armenia] - IFEX