Epress.am News from Armenia
In a letter addressed to US Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch, a group of Armenian-Americans under the initiative “Hungry for Change: Freedom and Justice in Armenia” request that Yovanovitch inform the authorities to permit a tent to shield Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian from rain and cold to be erected in Liberty Square and that harassment “under the guise of police searches” of Hovannisian’s belongings come to a halt:
“As you may know, Raffi K. Hovannisian, the leader of Heritage Party in Republic of Armenia, in protest to a myriad of serious shortcomings of democracy, existence of political prisoners, and perilous lack of freedom in all of its forms, has been on a hunger-strike since March 15, 2011.
“Since day one, supporters of Mr. Hovannisian have attempted to erect a simple tent for him, so as to shield him from unusually cold weather and rain. At every attempt, the authorities, using uniformed and plain-clothed police, have obstructed the placement of such tent. In one instance,… uniformed and plain-clothed officers tore apart a simple canopy which was to replace an umbrella that Mr. Hovannisian was using.
“Mr. Hovannisian has been denied the most basic of accommodations that will enable him to continue his constitutional right to express his discontent in a humane and decent manner. During nighttime, to keep warm and dry, he is forced to cover himself with multiple blankets and parts of a tarp. These inhumane conditions require urgent and most serious attention.
[…]“Thus, on behalf of Armenian-Americans and supporters of “Hungry for Change: Freedom and Justice in Armenia”, an online community awakened by the calls of democracy trumpeted from the Middle East, and in the name of human decency, we kindly request that the following demands be urgently communicated to the Armenian authorities in Yerevan:
1. Permit the erection of appropriate tents in a prominent location in Liberty Square, and permit for other necessary accommodations for Raffi Hovannisian and his supporters;
2. Halt the harassment that occurs under the guise of police searches of Raffi Hovannisian’s belongings and surroundings.
“We also note that many non-governmental organizations, prominent civic leaders, journalists and tens of thousands of ordinary citizens have sounded the distress call on this issue. On March 21st, Armenia’s own Human Rights Ombudsman issued a statement… calling on authorities to permit the setting of a tent for Raffi Hovannisian, assessing the police actions as violation of Armenia’s human rights laws.
“The case and need for your intervention is, in our opinion, clear, urgent and most anticipated.”