STATEMENT OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES

STATEMENT OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES WITH RESPECT TO THE FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF PACE RESOLUTION 1609 OF

17 APRIL 2008

Having examined the domestic political situation and the measures taken by Armenian authorities to fulfill the requirements stipulated by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) Resolution 1609, we, the undersigned participants in the summary discussion on PACE Resolution 1609 of 17 April 2008, hereby affirm that:

· The unlawful actions that accompanied the 2008 presidential elections have brought forth distrust toward the electoral process and the authority formed in its result;

· The curtailing of human rights and the violent actions, which began after the elections and took on a new character and impetus following the March 1 tragedy, have further deepened the citizen discontent; and,

· Armenian authorities continue to disseminate inaccurate information and issue apparent false statements to the international bodies with the aim of gaining their trust, but in the meantime they continue their unlawful and violent actions against the freedom of opinion at home.

We also register that even though the Armenian authorities are initiating certain steps toward the implementation of PACE Resolution 1609, and specifically the provisions set out in its twelfth section, in essence these steps cannot be considered a fulfillment of the requirements of this resolution because:

· In terms of the March 1 tragedy and the ensuing circumstances, no investigation has been launched to date and no one has faced responsibility for the ten casualties and the hundreds of injured. The authorities attempted to transform this matter, which the country’s Ombudsman had raised concerning the lawfulness of the actions taken by the competent bodies, into an allegation that the human rights defender had over exceeded his empowerment;

The task of carrying out an “independent, transparent, and reliable investigation” is assigned to the parliamentary commission comprising the majority of the ruling coalition members, who do not enjoy the people’s trust and have demonstrated their anti-democratic nature on numerous occasions;

· The absolute majority of those who were arrested for their political convictions have not been released. In some cases their jail sentence was commuted, but they still are charged with committing different crimes, and this in the case when false testimonies are at the basis of these charges while the preliminary investigations and court hearings are conducted with numerous infringements;

The political pursuit continues still, the people are taken under police custody without legal grounds, they are subjected to intimidation and dismissed from their jobs; and,

· On 12 June 2008, a mere superficial—cosmetic, if you will—changes were made in the Armenian law “On Holding Assemblies, Public Meetings, Marches, and Demonstrations.” And in result the citizens’ constitutionally protected right to hold pacific assemblies and without the presence of any arms is curtailed even now and the substance of the anti-democratic law, which was passed on March 17, has not changed to all intents and purposes. And in actual fact, the right of free assembly and holding protest marches is hindered by the discretionary, discriminatory, and obscure decisions taken by the authorities. In addition, the activities of NGOs still are impeded.

We state that the process of fulfilling the requirements set out in PACE Resolution 1609 carries an imitational nature in Armenia and this bespeaks the absence of a political will to implement democratic reforms in the country. We therefore declare that the activities carried out to honor the requirements of PACE Resolution 1609 are unsatisfactory.

Discussion participants:

“Against Legal Arbitrariness” NGO
“Sksela” Youth Movement
“Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly” NGO
Helsinki Civil Assembly Vanadzor office
“Hima” Youth Initiative
“Hope” NGO
“Mijnaberd” NGO

Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center
“Women for Peace” NGO
“Young Conservatives” NGO
“Zartonk-89” NGO
National Citizens’ Initiative

Zhanna Aleksanian; journalist
Gayane Abrahamian; journalist
Victoria Abrahamian; journalist
Harutiun Baghdasarian; defense attorney
Seda Safarian; defense attorney

Vahe Grigorian; citizen
Grizelda Ghazarian; citizen
Ruzan Khachaturian; citizen
Hrair Savzian; citizen
The following NGOs likewise have joined this statement:
“Asparez” Journalists’ Club
“Menk+” NGO
“Krtutian Asparez” NGO
“Rights and Freedom Center” NGO
‘Youth for Democracy’ NGO

17 June 2008
Yerevan