Yesterday a leading international human rights organization the Human Rights Watch urged the authorities in Yerevan to investigate beatings of opposition activists and journalists reported during Armenia’s presidential election on February 19. “These election-day attacks targeted the very people trying to ensure the integrity of Armenia’s vote,” Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement. “The Armenian government should carry out independent and speedy investigations to ensure justice is served and to send the message that intimidation won’t be tolerated.” HRW also urged the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to “look into election-related violence and ensure that its final report on the vote records these incidents.
