Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

RA authorities should make radical and qualitative changes. There is no time to waste. 

In 2024, several reputable international organizations published their annual reports on human rights, democracy, and freedom for the year 2023. Below are excerpts from the reports by Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the US Department of State regarding the human rights situation in Armenia. 

According to the Freedom House report, Armenia remained in the category of "partly free" countries. Armenia scored 23 out of a maximum of 40 points in the "Political Rights" category, 31 out of a possible 60 points in the "Civil Liberties" category, and has an overall score of 54 points. 

“Armenia’s democratic governance rating declined from 2.50 to 2.25 due to the government’s consolidation of power, the several years ongoing trend of dismissing mayors by the central authorities,  and the lack of transparency in ruling party finances.” 

According to the report, the main domestic political event was the election of the Yerevan Council of Elders. During the campaign, local observers and independent media have recorded widespread abuses of administrative resources in favor of the ruling party. As an example, the organized participation of educators and public servants in demonstrations held for the "Civil Contract" party is mentioned, as well as the unprecedented expenditure of local budgets on festive events in which candidates from the ruling party participated. 

Freedom House notes that “In 2023, Armenia continued reforms of law enforcement bodies. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was established with the aim of expanding parliamentary and civil oversight over the Police, which operates under the authority of the Prime Minister. However, the appointment of former police chief Vahe Ghazaryan as Minister of Internal Affairs instead of a representative from the civil sector raised complaints among NGOs, which refused to cooperate due to the lack of progress and ongoing corruption.” 

According to the US State Department report, "The Government of Armenia has taken steps, albeit with limitations, to investigate alleged violations committed by former and current state officials and representatives of law enforcement structures, and to hold them accountable. There has been no recorded progress in the investigations conducted by the Armenian authorities after the military activities in 2020 regarding the alleged violations by the Armenian military forces or individuals. 

Regarding the fight against corruption in Armenia, the US State Department notes that the government has strengthened its institutional ability to combat corruption by implementing its new anticorruption strategy on different fronts.

However, according to civil society, the institutional abilities for reforms to fight corruption have stalled because of conflicts of interest, issues related to freedom of information, and the few verdicts concerning corruption cases, although cases of confiscations from civil assets continue. 

According to the authors of the report, investigative journalists regularly inform about the issues present in the state procurement system, including the widespread practice of procurement made by a single individual, as well as the connections between the companies receiving state orders and senior government officials.

The report indicates that, according to observation organizations, the offices of the Prime Minister and the Prosecutor General used the most of the procurement made by one person among the state institutions. 

According to the Human Rights Watch report, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the eventual influx of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fleeing from Karabakh into Armenia determined the events that took place in the country in 2023.

The report also reflects the issues of human rights in Armenia in the primary sectors of state activities.

Human rights groups have expressed their concern about the effectiveness of judicial reforms and the impartiality of holding accountable those judges who are suspected of alleged abuses. They have also criticized the absence of comprehensive reforms in the police. 

The areas of continuous concern in human rights include the ill-treatment of detainees by law enforcement bodies, domestic violence, discrimination against people with disabilities, as well as violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Authorities often investigate complaints about cruel treatment during crimes as 'abuse of state position,' which often results in mild punishments.

In April 2023, during an anti-drug operation in Yerevan, police used disproportionate force against nightclub workers and sponsors and briefly detained dozens of people. Some people claimed that police officers and investigators have shown cruel treatment towards them based on their alleged or real sexual orientation and gender identity. The authorities have filed a case regarding the abuse against the  police involving at least 6 victims, although at the time of writing the article, no accusations had been filed.

Two advocates, who were protecting the interests of a child detained in February, said that following an argument at the police department, some police officers used physical force against them. Authorities have filed charges against two officers for this incident. At the time of writing, the preliminary investigation was ongoing.

According to Amnesty International report, no progress was reported in investigating war crimes and other crimes under international law during and immediately after the armed conflict with Azerbaijan in 2020. 

The report notes the main records regarding Armenia: law enforcement officers have used excessive force during protests against the government, and the right to free expression has been restricted, with hundreds of people politically persecuted for allegedly offending officials.