In Armenia, There’s No Respect for Human Rights: Sakunts

There isn’t a single (presumably state) agency in our country where citizens’ rights aren’t violated, said head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office Artur Sakunts at a press conference in Yerevan today dedicated to international Human Rights Day. 

Sakunts pointed to the existence of political prisoners in Armenia, torture of people in custody by police, and non-combat deaths of conscripts, noting that 42 young men have died while serving in Armenia’s armed forces this year and the year is not yet up. 

“Those committing the violations are being protected; they are supported by law enforcement and judicial authorities. In the country [where such things occur], it must be said that there’s no respect for human rights,” said Sakunts. 

Another participant in today’s press conference, Rustam Makhmudyan, advisor to the Human Rights Defender, informed the press that approximately 4,000 complaint-appeals were logged in their office this year, and citizens are dissatisfied mainly with the police, the courts, social issues and city hall. 

“It’s not the human rights defender that is the only remedy to all illnesses and all of us must be involved and united in this process of reinstating rights,” said Makhmudyan. 

Human rights attorney Edmon Marukyan, in turn, spoke on the state of Armenia’s penal institutions.

According to him, the state of affairs in Armenia’s penitentiaries is quite poor: for instance, 20 prisoners are crammed into a cell intended for 8 people, and they take turns sleeping — once every 3 hours, the shift changes and the next person gets access to a bed. Marukyan noted that until 2008, improvements were taking place in penitentiaries; however, after March 1, 2008, the situation worsened. 

He noted that incidents of torture are commonplace in police custody. As an example, the human rights attorney described the case of a young man in Tashir who was 5,000 drams (less than $14 US) in debt for cheese, and was subject to a beating while at the police station. The person who hit him was the son of the creditor he owed the debt to. 

Murakyan also mentioned another case in which the RA Deputy Prosecutor General, without a court ruling, imprisoned a citizen in Nubarashen penitentiary for 28 days. Human rights attorneys appealed to RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan a few times regarding this case, requesting that a criminal case be launched against his deputy and head of the Nubarashen penitentiary; however, the human rights defenders are still waiting for a response.