Epress.am News from Armenia
Freedom of religion is generally respected, though the dominant Armenian Apostolic Church enjoys certain exclusive privileges, and members of minority faiths sometimes face societal discrimination, reads the Armenia country profile in the 2010 Freedom in the World report published by US-based watchdog Freedom House.
Further, the report adds, at the end of 2009, there were 76 Jehovah’s Witnesses serving prison terms for refusing to participate in either military service or the military-administered alternative service for conscientious objectors.
The government generally does not restrict academic freedom. Public schools are required to display portraits of the president and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and to teach the Church’s history.
According to the 2010 report, in the aftermath of the violence following the 2008 presidential election, the Armenian government imposed restrictions on freedom of assembly. The majority of opposition requests to hold demonstrations in 2009 were rejected, and the authorities allegedly restricted road access to the capital ahead of planned opposition rallies. Police also reportedly continued to use force to disperse some opposition gatherings.
Further, Armenia’s judicial branch is subject to political pressure from the executive branch and suffers from considerable corruption. Police make arbitrary arrests without warrants, beat detainees during arrest and interrogation, and use torture to extract confessions. Prison conditions in Armenia are poor, and threats to prisoner health are significant.
Although members of the country’s tiny ethnic minority population rarely report cases of overt discrimination, they have complained about difficulties in receiving education in their native languages. Members of the Yezidi community have sometimes reported discrimination by police and local authorities.
In conclusion, the latest Freedom House report on “Freedom in the World,” giving Armenia a political rights score of 6 and a civil liberties score of 4, determined Armenia to be “partly free.”
Freedom House, partly funded by the US government (through USAID and the State Department), is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.