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Armenia

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Armenia

Constitution National Assembly President of Armenia Robert Kocharian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan Defence Minister Mikael Harutyunyan Political parties Elections: 2007 Administrative divisions Foreign relations Human rights See also: Politics of Nagorno Karabakh

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Human rights in Armenia are better than those in most former Soviet republics and have drawn closer to acceptable standards, especially economically. Still, there are several considerable problems. Overall, Armenia's human rights record is similar to that of Georgia's. Unlike Georgia, however, the Armenian government has been very slow in responding to these problems. It is because of this that Armenia has been labeled as "partly free" by organizations such as Freedom House. ^[1]

Contents 1 Political freedom 2 Economic freedom 3 Police brutality 4 Freedom of expression and of the media 5 Rights of religious minorities 6 References 7 External links

Since the ouster of Levon Ter-Petrossian as president, political freedom has seen some improvement. Ter-Petrossian's administration saw constitutional change that secured more power for the president than the parliament. He also banned nine political parties (including, notably the Armenian Revolutionary Federation). Ter-Petrossian's semi-autocratic style of governing and his gradualist approach to solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict led to his ouster and the succession of Robert Kocharian as president. ^[1]

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia has been making a steady transition from a centralized economy to a free market economy. Armenia is the most economically free state in the Commonwealth of Independent States. According to the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked at 27, tied with Japan, and was categorized as a "mostly free" country. ^[2] However, corruption and a high degree of income inequality remains a problem. ^[3]

There have been reports of police brutality and arbitrary arrests carried out. Beatings and torture of detainees before trial is used to obtain confessions or information. Demonstrations against the government have been dispersed with force, and opposition leaders have been detained. Abuse is common in the army and is suspected as the cause of many suspicious deaths. ^[4]

While the media has a degree of independence, the freedom of press in Armenia is limited. Some independent channels, such as A1+, Noyan Tapan, and Russian NTV, have had their frequencies taken away by the government. Journalists covering a demonstration against President Robert Kocharian were attacked when police intervened to detain the protestors. ^[5]

The Armenian Apostolic Church has a considerable monopoly in Armenia, possessing more rights than any other registered religion. Other religious minorities include Russian Orthodox Christians, Syriac Christians, Greek Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, Yazidis, and Jehovah's Witnesses. By and large, Armenia's Muslim community (once comprised of Azeris and Kurds) is virtually nonexistent due to forceful population exchange between Armenia and Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Yazidis and the Jehovah's Witnesses are the most harassed religious minorities in Armenia. Since Armenia's independence, the Jehovah's Witnesses have attempted to convert Armenians to their faith, believing many of them to have adopted the communist doctrine of atheism during the Soviet years. Feeling a threat to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian government has continuously harassed them using such methods as preventing them from registering as a religious group and imprisoning them for their refusal to serve in the military. The Yazidis came to Armenia during the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape religious persecution, and the Yazidis of Mount Senjâr helped to shelter Armenians during the Armenian Genocide. ^[6] Unfortunately, they have faced increasing government oppression in the last decade. ^[7]

• Human Rights Watch: Armenia
• Censorship in Armenia - IFEX
• Indian Students Seek Justice in Vain