Yesterday well-known and respected Human Rights Watch organization released a report, which mildly said implies criticism addressed to the Armenian authorities. “The Armenian authorities have yet to ensure meaningful investigations into excessive use of police force during March 2008 clashes with opposition supporters protesting alleged fraud in the previous month’s presidential election, and address related allegations of abuse in police custody,” reads the report. “A number of opposition supporters reportedly remain imprisoned in connection with the March 2008 events. Officials claimed to have opened 200 internal inquiries into police conduct, but only four police officers have been charged in two separate cases for excessive use of force,” reads the Human Rights Watch report. “More than 50 civilians were prosecuted in relation to the March violence, with some sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Although a June 19, 2009 presidential pardon of Serzh Sargsyan released many, local human rights groups maintain that 17 opposition supporters remain imprisoned on politically motivated charges,” added the respected watchdog. The Human Rights Watch also criticized the authorities’ broader human rights record, saying that they continue to tolerate abuse in police custody and restrict civil liberties. The criticism was contained in its annual World Report that scrutinizes human rights conditions in over 90 countries and territories worldwide. Let us remember that last week another venerable organization, the Freedom House, released another report on Armenia by rating Armenia 6 out of the lowest grade 7. According to the Freedom House, such a grade is given to countries, which are headed by military juntas, one-party dictators, where the acting governments tolerate only minimum liberties from citizens. Indeed these ratings of the mentioned organization have a covert agenda and it’s no accident that these reports are issued when the process of NKR resolution has been activated. By this perhaps they are trying to pressure on Armenia. The fact that these reports are truthful is more terrible than the motives of the Freedom House and the Human Rights Watch.
