Opinion ID: 62530
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Country Reports and Other Documentation

Text: The record before the IJ included the 2004 and 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for Armenia. The 2004 Country Report indicated (1) that in March and April 2004, Armenian authorities had denied the opposition parties requests for permits to hold rallies and demonstrations, and (2) nonetheless, small rallies took place without government interference. The Report noted that, between April 13 and April 15, 2004, the police had detained and questioned persons involved in April 12 and 13, 2004 protest rallies and used flash grenades, water cannons and batons to disperse hundreds of protestors who blocked a major city street for more than eight hours. In June 2003, a new law took effect that lifted the requirement of obtaining a government permit to organize rallies or demonstrations, although there are still limitations to location. According to the Report, in the area of political rights, there were reports of harassment to opposition supporters, but no reports of punitive job dismissals. The 2005 Country Report indicated (1) there were no reports of politically motivated arrests resulting in continued detention at year’s end, (2) there were no 4 reports of political prisoners, and (3) although the law provided that the government could interfere with illegal rallies and demonstrations, again, it did not interfere with small rallies that took place without permission. The record also contained an Amnesty International 2005 Report on Armenia, which stated that, on April 13, 2004, police used water cannons and stun grenades on protestors calling for Kocharyan’s resignation. According to the Report, most of the activists were detained for up to 48 hours and were beaten and ill-treated at the police station. The report noted that Edgar Arakelian, an opposition activist at the April 13, 2004 demonstration, was arrested and admitted hitting a police officer with an empty plastic bottle, although Arakelian claimed he acted in self-defense after the officer hit him and broke his front teeth. Arakelian was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment in May 2004 and served a third of his sentence before being released. Hakhverdyan submitted several articles discussing police interference with the opposition demonstrations on or around April 12, 2004. One article, dated April 12, 2004, stated that opposition supporters were stopped from approaching Kocharyan’s residence by police wearing riot gear who were ready to use water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades and that the demonstrators and the police were in a standoff. Another article, dated April 13, 2004, stated that police had broken up the demonstration overnight by charging the participants with truncheons, water 5 cannons and stun grenades and that opposition leaders and activists had been rounded up in raids and arrested. Approximately thirty people were treated for injuries resulting from clashes with the police, although some people were avoiding seeking treatment for fear of police reprisals.