4/17/2018
Dozens Detained During Yerevan Protests
At least 80 mostly young people were detained on Tuesday during continuing anti-government protests in Yerevan.
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4/17/2018
Tens Of Thousands Protest In Yerevan, Other Armenian Cities Against New Prime Minister
YEREVAN -- Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the center of the Armenian capital after lawmakers elected Serzh Sarkisian prime minister, cementing his continued dominance of power.
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4/17/2018
Amnesty International - ARMENIA 2017/2018
Lack of accountability continued for the use of unnecessary and excessive force by police during protests in the capital, Yerevan
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4/16/2018
Opposition Protesters, Riot Police Clash In Armenia (UPDATED)
Thousands of angry opposition supporters clashed with riot police in Yerevan on Monday as they marched to the Armenian parliament in protest against its intention to appoint former President Serzh Sarkisian as the country’s prime minister.
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4/16/2018
Police, protesters clash in Armenia as leader stays in power
YEREVAN, Armenia — Police used tear gas and stun grenades as they clashed Monday with anti-government protesters in Armenia, leaving several people wounded, after thousands of opposition supporters began to march toward parliament in Yerevan.
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4/11/2018
Serzh Sarkisian Named As Ruling Party’s PM Candidate
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) confirmed late on Wednesday that it will nominate its chairman, former President Serzh Sarkisian, to be the country’s next, more powerful prime minister.
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3/23/2018
Media Access To Yerevan Council Sessions Restricted - AGAIN
The Armenian parliament approved on Friday a government proposal to essentially ban reporters from attending sessions of Yerevan’s municipal council.
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3/22/2018
No Political Prisoners In Armenia, Says Minister - WOW
The Armenian authorities have not arrested or imprisoned anyone for political reasons, Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian said on Thursday.
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3/21/2018
Armenian Parliament Refuses To Condemn 2008 Crackdown
The National Assembly rejected on Wednesday a draft resolution condemning the use of lethal force against opposition protesters in Yerevan in the wake of Armenia’s disputed 2008 presidential election.
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3/1/2018
Armenian Opposition Marks 2008 Unrest Anniversary
Hundreds of people rallied in Yerevan on Thursday to mark the tenth anniversary of a deadly suppression of anti-government street protests that followed a disputed Armenian presidential held in February 2008.
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2/28/2018
Opposition Bloc Alleges Fraudulent Vote Count In Parliament
The opposition Yelk alliance accused the pro-government majority in the Armenian parliament on Wednesday of resorting to fraud to elect a key member of a new judicial body set up in the country.
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2/21/2018
Journalists Barred From Yerevan Council After Witnessing Violence
One week after an embarrassing brawl between pro-government and opposition members of Yerevan’s municipal council, Mayor Taron Markarian has decided to ban reporters from attending its further sessions.
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2/20/2018
199 cases of human rights violations registered in 156 cases
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor presents a summary of the activities of 2017 in the form of infographic.
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2/5/2018
U.S. Mission Alarmed By Death Threats Against Armenian Editor
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan expressed concern on Sunday at death threats that have been made against the editor of an Armenian media outlet critical of the government.
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1/25/2018
Zaruhi Postanjyan to apply to European Court
The Yerkir Tsirani (Country of apricot) party refuses all those who have been involved in the robbery of the Republic of Armenia. In this case, it refers to Armen Sarkissian, the candidate of Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).
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9/25/2017
The European Court to examine the complaint on journalist Gayane Arustamyan’s case
The European Court of Human Rights received the complaint of Gayane Arustamyan, a journalist arrested on May 7, 2015, who was subjected to inhuman, degrading treatment and physical violence by the police.
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9/4/2017
NGOs condemn obstruction of journalist’s work in Yerevan court
A number of NGOs in Armenia have condemned the handling of A1+’s journalist and cameraman by judicial bailiffs.
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8/15/2017
Violence used against journalists in Sari Tagh: discussion-live
On July 17, 2016, a group of armed men calling themselves Sasna Dzrer (the Daredevils of Sasun) stormed a police station in Yerevan, taking nine hostages. They demanded the release of opposition leader Jirair Sefilian, and resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan.
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8/14/2017
RFE/RL Reporter Harassed In Armenia
A correspondent for RFE/RL’s Armenian service was threatened and chased by a man while reporting on safety standards at Armenia’s liquefied gas stations on Monday.
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7/30/2017
Armenia: Limited Justice for Police Violence
One-Sided Prosecutions Year After Attacks on Protesters, Journalists
(Yerevan) – The Armenian government has failed to ensure full accountability for police violence against largely peaceful protesters and journalists a year ago, Human Rights Watch said today. At the same time the authorities have indicted at least 32 protesters, convicting 21 of them, with 11 sentenced to prison.
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6/25/2017
Armenian reporters injured, equipment damaged while covering protest
At least 14 journalists were injured and had their equipment damaged while they were covering a protest in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on June 23, 2015, according to local and international news reports. Several of the journalists were also briefly detained at a local police station, the independent news website Armenia Now reported.
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6/12/2017
Cataloging Violence Targeting Journalists in Armenia’s 2017 Elections
The numerous cases of violence targeting journalists in Armenia during its April 2, 2017, parliamentary elections highlight the failure of the state’s authorities to keep their promise of ensuring that elections would be held on the highest level possible. At least ten journalists of local media outlets were reported to have been subjected to obstruction and physical violence while covering the April 2 elections.
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5/16/2017
Material on hindering journalist’s professional activity forwarded to SIS
the result of measures taken in the Investigative Division of Erebuni and Nubarashen administrative districts of Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee circumstances of hindering journalist’s professional activity at the polling station N 10/29 were found.
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5/14/2017
Opposition Leader Forced Out Of Ruling Party Office
Police in Yerevan on Sunday forcibly removed Zaruhi Postanjian, an opposition mayoral candidate, from a campaign office of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) which she accused of bribing voters.
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5/14/2017
RFE/RL Reporter Assaulted During Yerevan Vote
A correspondent for RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) covering Sunday’s municipal elections in Yerevan was assaulted by government loyalists after witnessing distribution of cash to voters outside a campaign office of the ruling Republican Party (HHK).
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4/26/2017
2017 World Press Freedom Index: Armenia yields positions in terms of press freedom
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released 2017 World Press Freedom Index where Armenia is ranked 79th among 180 countries – – down by five scores from the previous report published in 2016.
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4/5/2017
Civic Groups Report ‘Evidence Of Election Fraud’
A coalition of Armenian civil society organizations claimed on Wednesday to have obtained evidence that at least several hundred ballots were cast in place of citizens who did not vote in the April 2 parliamentary elections.
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3/16/2017
Yerevan Gunmen’s Backer Dies After Hunger Strike
A man who delivered food last summer to anti-government gunmen occupying a police compound in Yerevan died on Thursday ten days after being released from prison following a 25-day hunger strike.
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3/15/2017
Police General Blamed For Pre-Election Violence
Samvel Babayan, a retired army general close to former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian’s ORO opposition bloc, on Wednesday accused a controversial deputy chief of the Armenian police of orchestrating violent attacks on its supporters.
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3/14/2017
Opposition Backers Shot, Stabbed In Armenian Village
An opposition alliance led by former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian accused the Armenian authorities of spreading an “atmosphere of fear” ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections after three of its supports were shot, stabbed and beaten up on Tuesday.
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3/7/2017
Ohanian Attacks Ruling Party
Former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian indicated on Tuesday that his alliance with opposition leaders Vartan Oskanian and Raffi Hovannisian will not seek power-sharing agreements with the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) after next month’s parliamentary elections.
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3/1/2017
Armenian Election Candidate Stabbed
A parliamentary election candidate of Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) was stabbed and seriously wounded on Wednesday in an attack which a senior BHK representative blamed on members of the ruling Republican Party (HHK).
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1/20/2017
Ohanian Set To Join New Opposition Bloc
Former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian will join a newly formed opposition alliance to participate in Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, one of its leaders, Vartan Oskanian, said on Friday.
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1/13/2017
Karapetian Admits Potential Election Hurdle
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian admitted on Friday that he may not be eligible to stand as a candidate of the governing Republican Party (HHK) in Armenia’s forthcoming parliamentary elections.
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1/12/2017
Armenian Government Criticized By Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday that the Armenian authorities have failed to properly punish law-enforcement officials responsible for what the New York-based watchdog called excessive force that was used against anti-government protesters in Yerevan in July.
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7/18/2016
3 Hostages Freed In Armenian Police Station Standoff
Anti-government gunmen occupying a police station in Yerevan released three hostages on Monday on the second day of their standoff with Armenian security forces.
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7/17/2016
UPRISING!! Armed Men Storm Yerevan District Police HQ, Take Hostages
A group of armed men from an opposition group stormed a district police headquarters and exchanged fire with police in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, early in the morning on July 17, the National Security Service (NSS) said in a statement.
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7/14/2016
Opposition Supporters ‘Bullied By Government’
Armenian law-enforcement officers raided on Thursday the homes of members of a hardline opposition group whose leader, Zhirayr Sefilian, was arrested last month on what he considers politically motivated charges.
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6/28/2016
Lawyers Demand Release Of Arrested Oppositionist
Lawyers for Zhirayr Sefilian demanded on Tuesday his immediate release from prison, insisting that the radical opposition politician arrested last week did not plan to mount an armed revolt against Armenia’s government.
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6/23/2016
Armenian Oppositionist Arrested Over ‘Coup Plot’
YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenian law-enforcement authorities arrested Zhirayr Sefilian, a radical opposition leader, on Monday, June 20, saying that he plotted to overthrow the government through an armed revolt.
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6/6/2016
Artsakh opposition lawmaker attacked on his way to work
Hayk Khanumyan, leader of Nagorno-Karabakh’s National Rebirth Party, was attacked on his way to work in the morning, Vladmir Dolukhanyan, a member of the party, told A1+.
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6/6/2016
OSCE representative is aware of ‘street art protest’ with cardboard tank
Civil activist Artak Gevorgyan is facing up to two years in prison for driving a cardboard tank through Yerevan streets and hitting the metal gates of the National Security Service last summer.
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6/6/2016
Karabakh parliamentary factions on violence against opposition lawmaker
The political parties represented in Nagorno-Karabakh’s National Assembly have issued a statement condemning the violence against NKR lawmaker Hayk Khanumyan.
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6/6/2016
Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan rejects jailed civil activist
After returning from the consultation room, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan rejected a petition filed by the lawyer of civil activist Gevorg Safaryan, who had requested the Court to substitute Safaryan’s detention with bail. The judge said that the motion was groundless.
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6/3/2016
What did Shant Harutyunyan tell his son during their last meeting?
Civil activist Shahen Harutyunyan, who is fighting for these values, is turning 17 today. It is the third year Shahen, the son of jailed radical opposition leader Shant Harutyunyan, is unable to celebrate this big day around a birthday table.
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5/20/2016
Gevorg Safaryan to remain in custody
Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan has rejected a petition filed by the lawyer of civil activist Gevorg Safaryan who asked the court to review the preventive measure of the activist or release him on bail.
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3/28/2016
Opposition Insists On Release Of ‘Political Prisoner’
Leaders of parliamentary opposition forces condemned the Armenian authorities on Monday for their continuing refusal to release a prominent activist who was arrested during an anti-government protest three months ago.
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3/25/2016
Oppositionist’s Arrest Again Extended
Ignoring concerns voiced by human rights groups and the European Union, an Armenian court on Friday further extended the pre-trial arrest of an opposition activist accused of assaulting a police officer during an anti-government protest.
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3/24/2016
14 Detained During Yerevan Protest
Fourteen opposition activists were detained in Yerevan on Thursday as they scuffled with riot police while demanding the immediate release of a fellow member of an Armenian opposition grouping arrested in January.
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3/24/2016
Government Refuses To Mark ‘State Terror Day’
The Armenian government rejected on Thursday an opposition motion to officially mark the anniversaries of the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan, which left 10 people dead, as days of “state terror” victims.
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3/21/2016
Members of Armenian Women’s Front detained (video)
All participants of a protest held by the Armenian Women’s Front initiative have been taken to a police station from Republic Square.
About a dozen women were participating in the protest held under the slogans “No to Dictatorship” and “Freedom to Political Prisoners!”
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3/16/2016
Armenian Court Again Refuses To Free Oppositionist
Armenia’s Court of Appeals on Wednesday again refused to set free an arrested opposition activist despite prosecutors’ admission that the high-profile criminal case against him is flawed.
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3/2/2016
Armenian Authorities Refuse To Disclose Reasons For Travel Ban On Diaspora Activist
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) insisted in court on Wednesday that it has “reasonable” suspicions that a Paris-based Armenian Diaspora activist is a threat to the country’s security.
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3/1/2016
Armenian Opposition Groups Hold Joint Rally On Unrest Anniversary
Armenia’s main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) party and a number of other groups opposed to the current government staged a joint rally on Tuesday in commemoration of victims of 2008 post-election clashes.
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2/25/2016
Oppositionist’s Arrest Extended
A district court in Yerevan on Wednesday extended by one month the pre-trial detention of an opposition activist which has been denounced by Armenian and international human rights groups.
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2/24/2016
Prominent Activist ‘Assaulted’ In Jail
A well-known maverick activist controversially arrested and prosecuted by the Armenian authorities claimed to have been assaulted in prison as he was forced to undergo a psychiatric examination on Wednesday.
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2/17/2016
"New Armenia" and ANC are getting ready for united rally on March 1
YEREVAN. - “New Armenia” and Armenian National Congress (ANC) party will most probably hold a united rally on March 1.
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2/8/2016
OSCE Experts Critical Of Armenian Referendum
Election experts from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have given a critical assessment of Armenia’s recent constitutional referendum, singling out “serious problems” with vote counts at polling stations visited by them.
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1/12/2016
ATTENTION: Jirayr Sefilyan was given the LAST WARNING to stop his political campaigns against the corrupt government! - LILIA CHAKARIAN
Jirayr Sefilyan was called to the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia to stop his political activities.
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1/12/2016
Armenian Ombudsman Resigns After ‘Immoral’ Attacks
Karen Andreasian, Armenia’s state human rights ombudsman, unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday less than three months after accusing government-linked individuals of waging a smear campaign against him.
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1/6/2016
Opposition Activist Attacked In Yerevan
A female opposition activist was beaten up by unknown assailants in Yerevan late on Tuesday, in what she and an Armenian opposition alliance consider a politically motivated attack ordered by the authorities.
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1/4/2016
Armenian Oppositionist Activist Arrested, Prosecuted
An opposition activist has been arrested and remanded in pre-trial custody after he and several other members of a radical group seeking to topple Armenia’s government clashed with riot police on New Year’s Eve.
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12/16/2015
Opposition Party Reveals More ‘Fraud Evidence’
In what it called fresh evidence of serious fraud, the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) reported on Wednesday huge discrepancies between official results of the December 6 constitutional referendum in five precincts in Yerevan.
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12/14/2015
U.S. Warns Of Armenian Vote Rigging Blacklist
In an unprecedented warning, the United States said on Monday that it could blacklist individuals who committed serious irregularities reported during Armenia’s recent constitutional referendum.
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12/9/2015
Kocharian Slams ‘Illegitimate’ Referendum
Former President Robert Kocharian alleged through a spokesman on Wednesday “systematic” fraud in Armenia’s constitutional referendum, saying that President Serzh Sarkisian did not win a popular mandate to turn the country into a parliamentary republic.
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12/4/2015
Revolution has started: New Armenia holds march through Yerevan streets
The New Armenia Public Salvation Front is continuing its march in downtown Yerevan.
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12/3/2015
“New Armenia” to put up tents in the evening
Today after the rally “New Armenia” public salvation front is going to put up tents at Liberty Square.
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12/2/2015
On December 6, Armenia is scheduled to hold a referendum on constitutional amendments initiated by Serzh Sargsyan’s administrative.
Do not take bribes during elections! (video)
On December 6, Armenia is scheduled to hold a referendum on constitutional amendments initiated by Serzh Sargsyan’s administrative.
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12/2/2015
Why doesn’t Nikol Pashinyan go to Liberty Square?
During today’s parliamentary briefings, Armenian lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan replied to the appeal of the New Armenia Public Salvation Front which is staging a round-the-clock sit-in at Liberty Square against the pending constitutional changes.
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12/2/2015
CPFE hotline to help journalists on Dec. 6
With the aim of protecting the rights of media representatives, the hotline of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression will work in a special regime on December 6 when Armenians are to decide whether the country should transmit to a parliamentary republic or not.
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12/2/2015
Opposition Protests Continue In Yerevan
An Armenian opposition alliance attracted fewer people on Wednesday on the second day of its sustained street protests in Yerevan described by its leaders as an anti-government democratic “revolution.”
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12/2/2015
New Armenia Front starts another rally in Yerevan
The New Armenia Salvation Front has started another rally at Liberty Square following its ‘nationwide rally’ announced at the square on Tuesday evening.
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12/1/2015
Armenian Opposition Alliance Starts ‘Revolution’
Hundreds of protesters scuffled with riot police late on Tuesday as they marched through downtown Yerevan at the start of a nonstop demonstration organized by an Armenian opposition alliance seeking to topple President Serzh Sarkisian.
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11/30/2015
Opposition Bloc Presses Ahead With ‘Regime Change’ Bid
An Armenian opposition alliance will launch on Tuesday a campaign of nonstop demonstrations aimed at forcing President Serzh Sarkisian to resign even before Sunday’s referendum on his constitutional changes.
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11/27/2015
Prosecutors Order Probe Into Vote Bribery Scandal
Prosecutors launched on Friday criminal proceedings against a pro-government election official who has allegedly tried to bribe an opposition colleague into turning a blind eye to fraud in Armenia’s upcoming constitutional referendum.
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11/10/2015
Ohanian Under Fire Over Referendum Ad
Opposition leaders accused Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian on Tuesday of pressuring Armenian servicemen to vote for President Serzh Sarkisian’s controversial constitutional changes in the upcoming referendum.
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10/16/2015
Opposition Party Calls Upcoming Constitutional Referendum ‘Illegitimate’
Armenia’s leading opposition party has slammed the involvement of a supreme court official in the planned referendum on constitutional amendments, claiming that it makes the process “illegitimate” from the very beginning.
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10/12/2015
Armenian Opposition Groups Shaping Up New Anti-Government Campaign
Opposition Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian and bitter government critic Jirair Sefilian have announced their joint push for regime change ahead of a December referendum on controversial constitutional changes initiated by the current administration.
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10/9/2015
Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian officially joins opponents of constitutional reform in Armenia
The leader of opposition Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisian has officially joined opponents of the draft amendments to the Constitution of Armenia, the party said in a statement.
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10/8/2015
Decision has been made to exclude Elinar Vardanyan from the BHK for voicing opposition towards government
"Kentron” territorial structure of the Prosperous Armenia Party (the BHK) has decided to exclude the National Assembly deputy Elinar Vardanyan from the party.
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10/2/2015
You Won’t Pass It holds rally in Yerevan
The pressure group called “You Won’t Pass It” is holding a rally at Liberty Square against the constitutional reform package drafted by an Armenian presidential body.
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9/25/2015
Human Rights Without Frontiers calls on Armenia to investigate incidents of disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters
Human Rights Without Frontiers calls upon Armenia
• to promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate all incidents of disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officers and attacks against peaceful protesters by unidentified assailants;
• to effectively investigate the threats against human rights defenders;
• to shorten the 7-day notification requirement prior to an assembly to set a reasonable framework for notification of an event;
• to stop police interference and obstruction of peaceful assemblies under the pretense of “not authorized” events;
• to conduct impartial and transparent investigations of incidents where freedom of assembly has been restricted and police has used force; identify and prosecute police officers for excessive use of force, provide effective remedies to the victims.
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9/22/2015
Injured Oppositionist Links Oligarch With Assault
An Armenian opposition activist treated for severe injuries in a Yerevan hospital claimed on Tuesday that one of the men who assaulted him works for Ruben Hayrapetian, a notoriously violent businessman linked to the government.
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9/22/2015
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH - Armenia: Activist Brutally Beaten
Stop Interference With Peaceful Protest
A member of an independent political group critical of the Armenian government was savagely beaten after a protest in Yerevan, the capital, on September 21, 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately investigate the beating of Smbat Hakobian, a member of the Alliance of Freedom Fighters, and bring those responsible to account.
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9/21/2015
Another Opposition Activist Beaten Up
Yet another member of an Armenian pressure group challenging the government was severely beaten by unknown men and hospitalized on Monday after taking part in an opposition demonstration in downtown Yerevan.
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9/21/2015
Ter-Petrosian Again Rejects Constitutional Changes
Armenian National Congress (HAK) leader Levon Ter-Petrosian on Monday reaffirmed his unconditional rejection of the constitutional changes put forward by President Serzh Sarkisian, saying that his opposition party will keep fighting against them.
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9/17/2015
Corruption Hurts Armenia, Says U.S. Envoy
RFE/RL - Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for coming to our bureau in Yerevan. I want to start by asking how do you evaluate the current state of Armenian – U.S. relationship.
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9/14/2015
Armenian Groups Join Forces Against Constitutional Changes
About three dozen opposition parties, civic groups and other non-governmental organizations pledged at the weekend to jointly fight against sweeping amendments to Armenia’s constitution sought by President Serzh Sarkisian.
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8/26/2015
Opposition Activist Loses Job After Protest
A senior member of a radical Armenian opposition group has been controversially fired by his private employer just days after leading a demonstration outside the presidential palace in Yerevan.
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8/6/2015
Today’s Court ruling is sending a message to all activists sentencing a fellow activist to 6 months in prison – LILIA CHAKARIAN
Narek Hakobyan, an activist who was protesting against the increase in electricity, was sentenced to 6 months in jail today, for allegedly kicking a police officer. "The accusation was based on completely false information from the start."
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8/4/2015
Armenian Opposition Slams Authorities Over Constitutional Reform Provision
Armenia’s leading opposition parties have criticized the Armenian authorities for their reluctance to at least listen to the recommendations of a Council of Europe advisory body and remove a controversial provision on the so-called “second round” in parliamentary elections from the draft amendments to the Constitution.
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7/31/2015
CE Body Criticizes Proposed Parliamentary Election ‘Runoff’ In Armenia
An advisory body of the Council of Europe (CE) has issued its preliminary opinion on the proposed Armenian constitutional amendments, criticizing the provision of a so-called “second round” in parliamentary elections aimed at forming a “stable majority”.
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7/31/2015
Acts of violence against media representatives during June 23 events higher than in March 2008 (video)
About 20 journalists and one cameraman were affected in 5 cases of physical violence reported in the first half of 2015, the Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression said on July 31.
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7/29/2015
Armenian Activists Slam ‘Unlawful’ Police Behavior
Civic activists in Armenia campaigning against electricity price hikes have accused the police of “unlawfully” hindering their plans to conduct a sit-in in a central Yerevan square.
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7/22/2015
HCAV: 85 cases of human rights violations by police in 3 months
Eighty-five cases of human rights violations by police officers were reported during the media reporting between April and June 2015, which is 29 cases (52 percent) more as compared with the first quarter of the year.
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7/20/2015
Armenian Opposition Alarmed By ‘Deadly’ Constitutional Change
Armenian opposition leaders accused the authorities on Monday of seeking to facilitate the use of lethal force against dissent through one of the draft constitutional amendments that were made public last week.
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7/16/2015
ATTENTION: OSCE Concerned About Criminal Case Against Armenian Journalist
A senior official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed concern on Thursday at criminal proceedings launched against the editor of an Armenian media outlet critical of the government.
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7/14/2015
Youth Activists Demand Action Against ‘Police Brutality’
More than a hundred activists briefly blocked a major Yerevan street on Tuesday as they rallied to demand punishment for police officers who used excessive force during recent street protests against an electricity price hike.
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7/6/2015
Armenian police disperse protest after 2 weeks- PROTESTERS ARRESTED, including journalists
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Police cleared away barricades on Monday to unblock a central avenue in the Armenian capital that demonstrators had occupied for two weeks to protest hikes in electricity prices in the impoverished former Soviet nation.
Police also detained 46 demonstrators who refused to disperse, but released all of them quickly.
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6/24/2015
Armenia: Police Violence Against Protesters, Journalists
– Police in Armenia used force to disperse a largely peaceful protest on June 23, 2015, raising concerns about potential human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today.
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6/13/2015
Super-fast pitch invader disrupts Portugal vs. Armenia Euro qualifier to protest dad’s imprisonment
The invader, who was later identified as Shahen Harutyunyan, did not invade the field hoping to gain the eyes of sports agents, however. Instead, he came on the field to protest political imprisonment in the country and specifically his father Shant Harutyunyan’s six-year sentence. The elder Harutyunyan heads the nationalist Tseghakron party.
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6/3/2015
Journalist Ani Gevorgyan to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights for the violence against her by the authorities - Lilia Chakarian
"Fourth Power" newspaper journalist Ani Gevorgyan is going to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, in its more than a year ago against violence case. The journalist of "Radio Liberty" told that all courts, including the Court of Cassation rejected up to the Special Investigation Service filed a complaint against the decision to dismiss the case.
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6/1/2015
New Armenian Opposition Party Takes Shape
Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian pledged to mount a serious challenge against President Serzh Sarkisian as he presided at the weekend over the founding congress of his new party tipped to become one of Armenia’s main opposition forces.
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5/7/2015
ATTENTION: Opposition Journalist Gayane Arustamyan- Dragged, Pulled, THREATENED, PHYSICALLY and VERBALLY ABUSED - LILIA CHAKARIAN
During a regular walk near Santa Fe Café in Yerevan, Armenia, 3 police officers attacked the journalist and while beating, physically and emotionally abusing her, brought her to the Central Police Station.
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4/9/2015
Arrested Oppositionists Formally Charged
Armenian law-enforcement authorities on Thursday pressed criminal charges against the leaders of the Founding Parliament opposition movement arrested in advance of its planned anti-government protests in Yerevan.
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4/7/2015
Head of “Rights and Support” foundation isn’t allowed to enter the office
Some time ago Head of “Rights and Support” foundation Gagik Sarukhanyan tried to open the door of the Founding Parliament with his key and enter
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4/6/2015
Armenian Ombudsman Slams Police, Courts Over Rights Abuses
Armenian law-enforcement agencies and courts remain the principal source of serious human rights violations in the country, Ombudsman Karen Andreasian said in his annual report released over the weekend.
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3/30/2015
Opposition Activist Stabbed At Gyumri Rally
An activist of the Armenian opposition movement Founding Parliament was stabbed at the weekend as government loyalists attempted to disrupt a rally held by it in Gyumri.
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3/26/2015
Radical Opposition Group Schedules Nonstop Protests
A radical Armenian opposition group said on Thursday that it will launch on April 24 a campaign of nonstop street protests in Yerevan aimed at forcing President Serzh Sarkisian to step down.
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3/23/2015
Naira Zohrabyan declares BHK as opposition party
Speaking at the National Assembly on March 23, the newly-elected head of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) faction today declared the BHK as opposition party.
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3/17/2015
Dashnaks Insist On Radical Constitutional Change
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) will throw its weight behind President Serzh Sarkisian’s controversial constitutional reform only if it envisages Armenia’s transformation into a parliamentary republic, a leader of the opposition party said on Tuesday.
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2/27/2015
Amnesty International Report 2014/15 - Armenia
Amnesty International Report 2014/15 - Armenia - Peaceful protesters were dispersed by police using excessive force in several instances. Activists working on controversial issues were threatened and attacked.
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2/23/2015
Armenian Opposition In Disarray After Prominent Leader Sidelined
The political standoff between Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and his most serious political rival, the leader of the opposition party Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia, BHK) Gagik Tsarukian, has ended with the latter backing away from his calls early this month to mobilize the population in a push for pre-term parliamentary and presidential elections if the authorities insist on proceeding with controversial proposals to transform Armenia into a parliamentary republic.
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2/11/2015
Epress.am Police use violence against protesting parents of dead soldiers
Today, at around 1:40 PM the parents of soldiers who died during peacetime were subject to violence by police in front of the Presidential Palace, epress.am reports.
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2/9/2015
Ralliers march to police headquarters - for Artak Khachatryan
The rally organized in support of activist Artak Khachatryan who was brutally beaten up on Saturday, continues in Yerevan, with the participants demanding that the police immediately reveal the incident and punish the assailants.
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2/9/2015
OEK condemns harassment against politicians and public figures
The political council of the Country of Law Party (OEK) today convened a sitting which was chaired by OEK Leader Arthur Baghdasaryan.
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2/3/2015
Journalists- on the events in Berdzor- Beaten
Even the journalist’s badge didn’t help the photojournalist of “Noyan Tapan” Anushavan Nikoghosyan to avoid the beating by policemen on Artsakh border on January 31.
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2/2/2015
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office condemns Berdzor incident
The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office has condemned the violence used by law-enforcement agencies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic against the members of the Founding Parliament movement, including women, children and a journalist.
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1/31/2015
Participants of automobile march injured: Journalist hospitalized
Unknown people today attacked the participants of an automobile march near Berdzor
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1/27/2015
According to “The Human Rights Watch” Armenia’s human rights record remained uneven
Armenia’s human rights record remained uneven in 2014. Authorities continued to interfere with peaceful protests.
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1/15/2015
Government Denies Role In ‘Political’ Attacks
The Armenian authorities rejected on Monday allegations that they ordered the latest beatings of anti-government activists in an effort to quash an opposition campaign of protests against President Serzh Sarkisian.
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1/13/2015
Russian Soldier ‘Confesses’ To Slaughtering Armenian Family
A runaway Russian soldier admitted murdering six members of an Armenian family in Gyumri after being detained overnight, a senior Armenian police official said on Tuesday.
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12/22/2014
Another Activist Attacked In Yerevan
Yet another anti-government activist was beaten up in Yerevan late on Saturday one day after publicly defying violent reprisals which a senior Armenian police official has threatened against individuals offending President Serzh Sarkisian.
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12/13/2014
Attacks On Armenian Opposition Activists Continue
Police detained two men on Friday night just hours after yet another Armenian opposition activist was attacked and injured on the street.
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12/11/2014
Opposition Activists Blame Government For Attacks
Three political activists involved in recent Armenian opposition protests have reportedly been assaulted in Yerevan in what they described on Wednesday as a government attempt to intimidate them.
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12/10/2014
Who sent people to beat Suren Sargsyan – Mher Sedrakyan or Serzh Sargsyan?
Freedom fighter Suren Sargsyan is now undergoing tests at the Erebuni medical centre. He has bruises on his face and various injuries on his head and face.
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11/28/2014
Injured Activist Blames Government For Assault
An Armenian opposition activist alleged a government campaign of intimidation on Friday as he was discharged from hospital one day after being attacked and injured in Yerevan by unknown individuals.
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11/14/2014
Opposition Parties Differ On Dialogue With Government
Leaders of Armenia’s three main opposition parties jointly challenging President Serzh Sarkisian cited on Friday different conditions for embarking on a dialogue with his administration.
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11/10/2014
Pre-parliament holds automobile march
On November 9, the Pre-parliament Initiative held the second automobile march in Armenia to inform people of their plans to unseat the authorities on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015.
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11/7/2014
Opposition Leader Still Vague On Movement Plans
The latest public remarks by Gagik Tsarukian, the millionaire leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), brought little clarity into the ultimate strategies of his anti-government campaign that appeared to have been shifted into a lower gear in recent days.
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10/30/2014
Third Questioning of the Journalist and the Parliament Security Chief at the SIS - Lilia Chakarian
Today, Marine Khachatryan, was called for another questioning at the SIS (Special Investigation Service) for the third time, after filing a criminal case under Article 1 of the Criminal Code, which corresponds to the hindrance to the legal and professional activities of a journalist.
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10/27/2014
Fifteen years of UNCERTAINTY - Lilia Chakarian
Today marks the 15 year anniversary of the killing at the Armenian Parliament. On October 27, 1999, during Armenian Parliamentary session, 5 gunmen broke through the parliament building and showered the parliament room with thousands of bullets that killed Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan and parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan, including several other politicians.
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10/24/2014
Andranik Tevanyan: Serzh Sargsyan will be sent to an unearned vacation
Only Azerbaijan benefits from Serzh Sargsyan’s policy, political analyst Andranik Tevanyan said addressing the participants of an opposition rally in Liberty Square on Friday.
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10/22/2014
Vardan Bostanjyan: You cannot rape people in this way
People in Armenia are not happy with the current situation, a former lawmaker of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) said on Wednesday.
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10/14/2014
Leaders of three non-government parties to meet in coming days
Leaders of three non-government parties to meet in coming days -Prosperous Armenia, Armenian National Congress and Heritage
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10/10/2014
Students unable to arrive in Yerevan from regions
Liberty Square is already overcrowded. Among the people who have come to participate in the opposition rally to start at 6.00 one can see a lot of elderly people.
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10/7/2014
Seventeen Citizens Still Remain Imprisoned for their Political Views - Lilia Chakarian
Fifteen citizens, in case called “Shant Harutyunyan and his friends” remain imprisoned for their political views. Human rights activists added yet another name to the list of political prisoners, Hayk Kuregyan, who shot a policeman from a TOY gun during November 5, 2014 protest.
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9/18/2014
Pro-Opposition Tycoon Downbeat On Economy
A prominent Armenian businessman sympathetic to the opposition on Thursday offered a grim assessment of the economic situation in Armenia and said that it will not improve without a “change of the political system.”
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9/16/2014
Rally to be held on OCTOBER 10, 2014 - Lilia Chakarian
BHK, HAK, and Heritage Parties will most probably hold a rally which will most probably start the beginning of anti-government protests held on streets of Yerevan. This rally is solely to forcefully push the unlawful president Serzhik to finally step down and leave.
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9/9/2014
“Barev, Rob”: violence against the journalist of A1+
The poster with the note “Barev Rob” appeared on the gates of the NA building for 5 minutes. “Counterattack” group was reminding with its action how 13 years ago in Aragast café for saying “Privet, Rob”, Georgian citizen Poghos Poghosyan was beaten and killed by Robert Kocharyan’s bodyguards.
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7/28/2014
Diaspora Tycoon Slams Armenian ‘Monopolies’
A prominent Armenian-American businessman sounded alarm bells on Monday over what he sees as a lack of competition in Armenia, saying that it could spell serious trouble for the country’s economy.
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7/18/2014
Who benefited from the March 1 clashes: authorities or opposition?
Chairman of the Armenian Constitutional Court spoke about the tragic events of March 2008 for the first time yesterday in Gyumri city, where he was invited to deliver a lecture.
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7/8/2014
Armenian Watergate? - Lilia Chakarian
Raffi Hovannisian released a statement accusing Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) threatening their new members.
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7/8/2014
Armenian Watergate? - Lilia Chakarian
Raffi Hovannisian released a statement accusing Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) threatening their new members.
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6/30/2014
Sarkisian Must Go, Says Hovannisian
President Serzh Sarkisian has no mandate to make Armenia part of a Russian-led alliance of ex-Soviet states and must step down as soon as possible, opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian said over the weekend.
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6/25/2014
Levon Ter-Petrosyan spoke about fake elections
On June 25, RA First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan met Italian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Armenia Giovanni Richuly, with the latter’s initiative.
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5/19/2014
Opposition Parties ‘Agree’ On Next Steps
The four main parliamentary parties challenging President Serzh Sarkisian reportedly agreed over the weekend to continue their joint political activities after the formation of a new Armenian government.
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4/16/2014
Sarkisian Ally To Quit Armenian Government
The Orinats Yerkir Party of Artur Baghdasarian, a key political ally of President Serzh Sarkisian, announced on Wednesday its decision to pull out of Armenia’s government, adding a new twist to political uncertainty in the country.
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4/3/2014
Armenian PM Resigns
After six years in office, Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian unexpectedly stepped down on Thursday for reasons that were not immediately clear.
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) said that Sarkisian announced his resignation at a meeting of its governing body chaired by President Serzh Sarkisian.
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3/21/2014
Raffi Hovannisian: We are not going to become dumb-ass martyrs
Heritage Party Leader Raffi Hovannisian plans to begin a series of rallies, but this time he will not start a hunger-strike.
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3/1/2014
Six Years, No Answers - Lilia Chakarian
Today marks the 6 year anniversary of the cruel massacre towards its own people and yet the Armenian government fails to disclose the details and perpetrators of the tragic and deadly clash between peaceful demonstrators and the corrupt authorities.
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2/28/2014
US Department of State refers to Feb 18 presidential election in Armenia in its report
The US Department of State has issued its annual human rights report which says that Armenia held a presidential election on February 18, and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) described the election as administered in an overall professional, open, and transparent manner with respect for fundamental freedoms, but marked by shortcomings including an uneven playing field, some serious election day violations, and concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
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2/26/2014
When do authorities open fire on their citizens?
When do authorities open fire on their citizens? When their interests do not coincide with those of the population
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2/10/2014
Opposition Activists Detained Over Anti-Sarkisian Graffiti
Nine activists of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) were detained by police in downtown Yerevan early on Monday while trying to draw graffiti that branded President Serzh Sarkisian a “national traitor.”
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6/28/2013
“Judicial system was raped again”
Armenia’s ex-Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan, another member of the group, says one of the gravest crimes was committed in June, 2012.
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6/19/2013
Armenian Police Practice ‘Bloodless’ Crowd Control
The Armenian police ended on Wednesday weeklong exercises during which they
tested new crowd control techniques and equipment aimed at avoiding casualties among anti-government protesters in the future.
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4/15/2013
Ruling Party Confident Over Yerevan Elections
Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian on Monday expressed confidence that the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) will retain control of the municipal administration in next month’s elections.
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2/22/2013
Hovannisian Rallies Thousands Against ‘Stolen Election’
Armenia - Supporters of opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian rally in Yerevan's Liberty Square, 20Feb2013.
During the rally, Hovannisian signaled his intention to launch a campaign of street protests, urging supporters to brace themselves for a “prolonged struggle.” He revealed that the sprawling square, which was the scene of massive post-election protests after the previous presidential election, has been “booked” for a rally planned Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) for Thursday afternoon.
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2/22/2013
Protesters clash with police outside OSCE Office in Yerevan
An incident reportedly occurred between police officers and ordinary citizens who had grouped outside the OSCE Office in Yerevan to express their discontent with the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission.
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2/22/2013
Raffi Hovannisian meets US Ambassador and OSCE/ODIHR observation mission head
Raffi Hovannisian has taken part in separate meetings with US Ambassador John Heffern and later with Head of OSCE/ODIHR Observation Mission to Armenia, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini.
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2/22/2013
Raffi Hovannisian has nothing to tell Armenian authorities
Opposition candidate Raffi Hovannisian said he had nothing to tell Armenian authorities after his yesterday’s meeting with Serzh Sargsyan.
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2/22/2013
Pashinyan shows ways to overthrow authorities
The two political poles that formed after the February 18 presidential election in Armenia are led by Serzh Sargsyan, who forcibly seized power, and by people headed by Raffi Hovannisian, Nikol Pashinyan, a lawmaker of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) announced at Liberty Square.
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2/21/2013
Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian discussed elections – president’s office
Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan received on Thursday leader of Heritage Party, presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian.
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2/21/2013
There is a chance and it will be wrong to lose it
Hrant Bagratyan's Facebook appeal
Once again we did not have free and fair elections. And again "azatutyun" square is crowded. 1996's, 2003's, 2008's experience shows that, the nation rebels when does not gain results with the constitutional way (elections). People want to stand up for their votes.
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2/21/2013
Ruling Party Cancels Yerevan Rally
HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov cited the opposition leader’s “adventurist and unconstitutional calls” as he commented on the party’s decision not to go ahead with the gathering.
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2/20/2013
Armenian Presidential Elections - Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
The United States congratulates the people of Armenia on their February 18 presidential elections, which were judged by international observers to be generally well-administered and characterized by a respect for fundamental freedoms, including those of assembly and expression. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) found that the media fulfilled its legal obligation to provide balanced coverage, and that all contestants made use of their free air time.
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2/20/2013
Armenian president’s spokesperson reacts to Hovannisian’s proposal to meet with Sargsyan
YEREVAN. – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s press secretary Armen Arzumanyan reacted to the declaration by presidential contender, opposition Heritage Party Chairman and former FM, Raffi Hovannisian, who had proposed to Sargsyan to meet with him.
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2/19/2013
OSCE PA observers call Armenian election improved, but lacking competition
Nonetheless, the mission noted, particularly at local levels, an unclear distinction between the campaign activities of the incumbent and state structures. These included misuse of administrative resources and pressure on public employees to participate in the election and campaign events.
The voting process was well organized in most of the polling stations visited, however the observers noted that the inking of passports did not provide the intended safeguard against multiple voting, as the ink could easily be wiped off.
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2/18/2013
Ballot stuffing reporting at precinct 32/5
The headquarters of presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian has recorded numerous violations after the official start of the presidential vote.
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2/18/2013
Ink again vanishes from passports
Though the Central Election Commission (CEC) publicly tested last week the new ink for special passport stamps that are supposed to prevent multiple fraudulent voting in the February 18 Armenian presidential election, the ink turns out to be easy to remove with a damp napkin immediately after voting.
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2/18/2013
Crack found in ballot box at Precinct 1/6
An observer from the Civil Society Institute NGO reported about violations in Yerevan Avan district. At Precinct 1/6, the observer found a crack in a ballot box from which it could be possible to insert a ballot.
The chairman of the election commission explained that all the members had checked the boxes and similar boxes might be found at other precincts as well.
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2/15/2013
Dashnaks Urge Vote Against Sarkisian
The opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on Friday urged supporters not to vote for President Serzh Sarkisian in Monday’s presidential election.
“As an opposition political force, we are calling on you to take part in the election, not to vote for the government’s candidate and to vote in good faith or to make your ballots invalid,” the party’s governing body in Armenia said in a statement.
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2/14/2013
Sarkisian Admits ‘Mistakes’
President Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday spoke of many mistakes committed by him but said Armenians should nevertheless vote for his reelection if they want justice and prosperity in their country.
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2/12/2013
New Anti-Fraud Ink Tested In Armenia
The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Tuesday publicly tested new ink for special passport stamps that are supposed to prevent multiple fraudulent voting in next week’s Armenian presidential election.
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2/8/2013
Plutocratic Government Continues Its Regime with Their Power of Wealth - Call to the Citizens of Armenia - Lilia Chakarian
Approaching the end of the current plutocratic system, in which arms we have suffered for the past 5 years...Say NO bribes, say NO to election violations, say NO to this totalitarian regime, say NO to Serzhik
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2/8/2013
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
The official election campaign started on 21 January and has been low-key and of limited visibility. The campaign of incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan is the most visible, while the state authorities have declared their intention to conduct elections in line with OSCE commitments, the distinction between campaign activities and state functions appears to be blurred
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2/7/2013
Before starting hunger strike, Armenia’s presidential candidate to visit fellow contender already on hunger strike
Armenia’s presidential hopeful, National Accord party Chairman Aram Harutyunyan issued a statement and noted that he will go on a hunger strike, on Thursday at 5pm, in front of the Central Electoral Commission building. He will stay there until 5pm Friday and, subsequently, he will withdraw his formal nomination for the presidential election to be held on February 18. Harutyunyan himself informed this during a press conference on Thursday.
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2/5/2013
Serzh Sargsyan avoids debating with me – Presidential candidate Hrant Bagratyan
Serzh Sargsyan is avoiding electoral debates, Armenian presidential candidate, former PM Hrant Bagratyan told voters in Armavir, the administrative center of Armavir region.
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2/1/2013
US is concerned by assassination attempt against Armenian presidential candidate
YEREVAN. – The Unites States is concerned by the assassination attempt that was staged against Armenia’s presidential candidate, opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan, US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland stated during a press briefing on Friday.
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1/25/2013
Rights Group Concerned About Armenian Jail Sentences
Human Rights Watch has expressed serious concern over controversial prison sentences given to four Armenian opposition activists who clashed with police in downtown Yerevan in 2011.
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1/22/2013
Candidate Quits Presidential Race
An Armenian presidential candidate announced his withdrawal from the race and another one threatened to follow suit on Tuesday, expressing serious concern over the freedom and fairness of the February 18 election.
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1/18/2013
Presidential candidate to go on hunger strike
The Central Election Committee (CEC) today rejected the statement of presidential nominee Andrias Ghukasyan who demanded that the CEC revoke the registration of Serzh Sargsyan, the candidate of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
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1/18/2013
Raffi Hovannisian invites Serzh Sargsyan to debate
Heritage Party Leader, presidential candidate Raff Hovannisian is going to begin his campaign meetings at 12, January 21, in the neighbourhood of Liberty Square in Yerevan.
The central headquarters of the candidate is due to meet on Sunday to discuss election-related issues.
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1/7/2013
Torosyan already discovered 44 election violations
Chairman of the Center of Parliamentarism in Armenia, Ruben Torosyan, has reported the Prosecutor General's Office and Central Election Commission about 44 alleged violations, which as he said, might have a significant impact on the February 18 presidential election.
The copies have been sent to the OSCE/ODIHR and other international organizations.
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12/27/2012
Ter-Petrosian Bloc Opts For Election Boycott
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) declared on Thursday that it will not field or endorse any presidential candidate after all, saying that changing Armenia’s government through elections has become impossible because of chronic vote rigging.
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12/24/2012
Ter-Petrosian Keeps Up Election Uncertainty
In what was his first public speech in six months delivered over the weekend, opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian declined to clarify whether he will run in Armenia’s upcoming presidential election. “Please wait for a couple of more days,” Ter-Petrosian told a congress of the HHSh, the largest of the parties of making up his Armenian National Congress (HAK) alliance.
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12/21/2012
Opposition Leader Gives Up Presidential Bid
Aram Sarkisian, an opposition leader until recently allied with former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, announced on Friday that he will not run in Armenia’s upcoming presidential election because of what he called popular apathy.
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12/10/2012
HAK holding march
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) is holding a march on December 10 in connection with Human Rights Day. About 300 members of the opposition alliance are heading from Liberty Square to Republic Square at present.
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12/6/2012
Parliament Rejects Opposition Antitrust Bill
The Armenian parliament rejected on Thursday a motion to demand sweeping government measures which its opposition minority believes would break up business monopolies and boost competition in the country.
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12/5/2012
Armenia ranked 105th in Corruption Perceptions Index 2012
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 shows corruption continues to ravage societies around the world. Armenia has been ranked 105th in the 2012 index with 34 scores.
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12/3/2012
HHK interested in disclosing March 1 tragic events
The National Assembly's Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs has decided to postpone the vote on creating an ad hoc committee to look into the March 2008 post-election clashes after the 2013 presidential election.
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11/22/2012
Opposition Bloc Seeks Court Ruling On Parliament Boycott
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) moved on Thursday to take the pro-government majority in Armenia’s parliament to court for thwarting a plenary session on an election-related bill drafted by the opposition bloc.
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11/12/2012
Armenian Minority Parties Launch ‘Political Consultations’
The two largest minority groups in Armenia may field a single candidate at next year’s presidential election, it emerged following what was described as their “political consultations” on Monday.
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10/26/2012
Armenia has turned into penal institution
Members and supporters of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK), who have been staging protests outside the Prosecutor General's Office in Yerevan, believe that only after holding free and fair elections Armenia will not have political prisoners.
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10/22/2012
Journalists’ rights violated at least 16 times
The Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Speech has recorded 16 instances of violation connected with journalists' rights in July-September, 2012, President of the Committee, Ashot Melikyan said Monday when summing up his organization's 3rd quarter report regarding the state of freedom of speech in Armenia.
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10/5/2012
PACE or Serzh Sargsyan? Where is solution?
The Court of Appeals is due to examine on Oct. 11 the appeal of the four jailed activists of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK).
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9/13/2012
Who holds up investigation into March 2008 clashes?
Both the radical opposition and the authorities in Armenia are waiting for an independent investigation into the ten deaths of March 1, 2008 post-election clashes.
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9/4/2012
Why did Ter-Petrosyan take case to European Court?
First Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan took a case to the European Court of Human Rights based on violation of the right to free elections. According to Vahe Grigoryan, the first President's representative in the European Court of Human Rights, the matter concerns violation of the right to free elections during the presidential election in February 2008, as well as violation of other rights.
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8/9/2012
Lawyers Again Slam Police Probe Of Restaurant Death
Lawyers representing the family of a man who was beaten to death at a Yerevan restaurant in June condemned on Thursday the criminal investigation into the assault that has been mostly completed by the Armenian police.
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7/24/2012
Action in defense of HAK activists
A protest was held near the General Prosecutor's Office today in defense of young Armenian National Congress (HAK) activists Tigran Arakelyan, Artak Karapetyan, Sargis Gevorgyan and David Kiramijyan.
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7/18/2012
HAK wants to form new commission in NA
The accusations that attempts are made to consign the March 2008 deadly clashes to oblivion are absurd, says Gagik Jhangiryan, a senior member of the Armenian National Congress (HAK).
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7/2/2012
Armenian opposition demands response of Armenian President on brutal restaurant fight
YEREVAN. – Armenian opposition Heritage Party demands a condemnation and breakthrough steps regarding the cruel beating in Harsnakar Restaurant complex.
“Today 35-year-old Vahe Avetyan was buried. His tragic death shocked the public and reminded about the atmosphere of impunity and victims of other atrocities.
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6/26/2012
ANC held the meeting at Liberty Square
Today Armenian National Congress (ANC) held the scheduled meeting at the Liberty Square. The meeting started with Armenian hymn.
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6/18/2012
Violently Beaten for Entering a Restaurant Wearing a Training Suit
e condition of military doctor Vahe Avetyan who is in the resuscitation department, Muratsan Military Hospital, remains grave, the hospital doctors said during a conversation with www.aravot.am. When we visited, the doctors were struggling for Vahe’s life.
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5/30/2012
US State Department’s report on human rights in Armenia
The most significant human rights problems in Armenia were limitations on citizens’ right to change their government, freedom of speech and press, and the independence of the judiciary, State Department said in its annual report.
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3/30/2012
Rally Dedicated to the Elections - Lilia Chakarian
The HHSH leader, Aram Manukyan’s speech claimed that they will do everything at the upcoming National Assembly elections to have it differ from the previous disgraceful elections. Levon Zurabyan announced that the “ARMY” is moving forward and from this second can move forward to the total attack, in which the people responded with enthusiasm: “Now, Now…”
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3/1/2012
Armenian opposition leader to form proportional list of opposition himself
YEREVAN. – Leader of Armenia’s opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), Armenian First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan will form the final proportional lists of ANC himself, he announced during ANC’s meeting in downtown Yerevan on Thursday.
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3/1/2012
The Opposition on the Streets Again… - Lilia Chakarian
“Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan, you will not digest the blood that was shed by the people, you will drown in our shed blood,” declared Nikol Pashinyan during the rally.
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2/1/2012
Armenia’s Oligarchs and their Entourage
To Maim and Kill with Impunity: Armenia’s Oligarchs and their Entourage
These crimes are not exceptions, and they have not escaped the attention of foreign diplomats. Armenia's high powered thugs run their government and opress their people. Killing and injuring the weak, the unprotected, the poor is what they do best. Stand up and condemn them, stand up and fight for them!
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1/5/2012
How the Armenian Government Released Nareg Hartounian
Thomas Jefferson once stated, “If there’s something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.”
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12/21/2011
Armenian Governor Embroiled In Another Scandal
A regional governor notorious for reportedly violent behavior has triggered yet another scandal after apparently bullying and insulting young environmental activists protesting against open-pit mining in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province.
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12/19/2011
Armenian opposition blames authorities for spread of pedophilia, too
YEREVAN. – The opposition Armenian National Congress representative Felix Khachatryan is of the opinion that, as a result of the authorities’ wrong economic policy, the people have reached such point that they let their infant children be molested, just to make money. Khachatryan stated this during a press conference on Monday, referring to American-Armenian businessman Serop Der-Boghossian—the proprietor of Akhtala Mine Enrichment Plant—who was sentenced to prison for pedophilia.
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11/25/2011
Fight, Fight to the End… - Lilia Chakarian
Today, at the Freedom Square, thousands of people gathered again and kept repeating the same slogan: "Serge, leave ..." and "Fight, fight to the end."
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11/25/2011
ANC rally kicks off at Liberty Square
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The rally of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) has kicked off at Liberty Square.
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11/25/2011
ANC: Routes to Yerevan closed again
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The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) issued a statement on Friday saying that the police and national Security Service have blocked the roads to the capital ahead of another rally at Liberty Square.
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11/25/2011
Authorities are preparing for election fraud
Armenian authorities are not preparing for recurrent elections, they are preparing for election fraud, Yerevan's ex-mayor, economist Vahagn Khachatryan announced during the rally of Armenian National Congress (ANC) opposition alliance in Yerevan.
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11/24/2011
To publish declaration for Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation
The Armenian National Congress central office has not received any alarms from the provinces due to the tradition of closing roads for cars traveling from the provinces to the capital ahead of the rally.
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11/23/2011
"Administrative office is the best business in Armenia"
Russia-based businessman Armenian Levon Hayrapetyan wants to see a revolution in Armenia which, as he says, will not affect the security of the country.
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11/22/2011
Armenian Opposition Leader Demands Safeguards For Fair Elections
YEREVAN -- An Armenian opposition leader has challenged President Serzh Sarkisian to prove his commitment to hold democratic elections by enacting radical changes to the law and not allowing government resources to be used by his ruling Republican Party (HHK), RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.
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11/21/2011
Heritage Leader urges ensuring free and fair elections
Founding leader of Heritage opposition party Raffi Hovannisian addressed an official letter to Armenian President, leader of ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Serzh Sargsyan.
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10/27/2011
October 27 – Black Day - Lilia Chakarian
The power in Armenia was beheaded exactly 12 years ago by a terrorist, Nairi Hunanyan, who “transparently appeared” at the National Assembly room and killed 8 assemblymen. The victims included the Speaker of the National Assembly Karen Demirchyan and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Vazgen Sargsyan. The terrorists demanded certain requirements and were constantly calling the President at the time, Robert Kocharyan.
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10/1/2011
Armenian opposition’s leader spends entire night at Liberty Square
Together with hundreds of opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) supporters, its leader and Armenia’s First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan likewise spent the entire night at capital Yerevan’s Liberty Square.
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9/30/2011
Armenian opposition rally started but did not end
Levon Ter-Petrossian announced 7-day-long round-the-clock protest actions, reiterating demands to authorities set at previous rally.
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9/23/2011
Armenian opposition vows to ratchet up pressure on authorities in coming weeks
Levon Ter-Petrosyan declared the start of “a new phase of struggle” and said a civil disobedience campaign and more pressure were needed for the government to comply with their demands.
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9/15/2011
All Persecution is aimed at ANC - Lilia Chakarian
Persecution is still pointed at the ANC members and activists by the Hrazdan Police, which was given direct orders of persecution by the newly appointed head of the criminal police investigation department.
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8/31/2011
Ruling Party Figure Sees Modest Opposition Presence In Armenian Parliament
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) will likely have no more than 10 seats in Armenia’s next 131-member parliament, a deputy chairman of President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) predicted on Wednesday.
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8/27/2011
Armenian opposition demands it has no reason to lie
Delegation of Armenian National Congress has no reason to lie, a member of ANC delegation negotiating with authorities Vahan Khachatryan to Armenian News-NEWS.am.
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8/26/2011
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SUSPENDS DIALOGUE WITH GOVERNMENT
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) suspended its dialogue with the government on Friday in protest against the continuing imprisonment of one of its activists arrested earlier this month.
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8/19/2011
More Opposition Youths Freed
Two more members of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) arrested last week were released from prison on Friday pending investigation into their violent dispute with police officers in Yerevan.
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8/15/2011
Armenian Opposition Threatens to Quit Talks
The Armenian National Congress (ANC) has not ruled out the possibility that it will quit political dialogue with the ruling party due to the arrest of ANC activists last week.
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8/11/2011
Armenian Police Chief Defends Opposition Arrests
Lieutenant-General Alik Sargsian, the chief of the Armenian police, on Thursday vehemently defended the arrest of seven opposition activists, saying that they assaulted and verbally abused police officers maintaining public order in Yerevan.
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8/10/2011
Opposition Youths Arrested After Clashing With Police
Seven young activists of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) were arrested late on Tuesday and remained in custody on Wednesday after clashing with police in Yerevan in unclear circumstances.
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8/4/2011
Armenian Coalition, Opposition Hold More Talks
Representatives Armenia’s governing coalition and the main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) agreed to intensify their meetings during a third round of negotiations held on Thursday.
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8/2/2011
Ter-Petrosian Reaffirms September Deadline For Government
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian reaffirmed late on Tuesday his September deadline for Armenia’s political leadership to call early elections or face a new wave of street protests by his Armenian National Congress (HAK).
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7/29/2011
Armenian National Security Service arrested journalist
Armenian National Security Service (NSS) apprehended Elina Khachaturova, journalist for Menk u Menk newspaper
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7/18/2011
Armenian Government, Opposition Launch Landmark Talks
Armenia’s governing coalition and the main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) began on Monday first-ever official negotiations that are meant to defuse lingering political tensions in the country ahead of the next national elections.
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7/13/2011
'Dialogue' In Armenia: Politics Or Theater?
Since the ouster early this year of the authoritarian leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) headed by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian has convened repeated rallies in Yerevan in a bid to force the country's leadership to schedule preterm elections or risk the same fate.
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6/30/2011
Ter-Petrosian Issues New Ultimatum, Sees More Government Concessions
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian on Thursday gave President Serzh Sarkisian two months to make more concessions to his Armenian National Congress (HAK) or face “unconditional” resignation demands.
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6/28/2011
Opposition Bloc ‘Still Hopeful’ On Dialogue With Government
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) still hopes to engage in a meaningful dialogue with Armenia’s government, Stepan Demirchian, a leading member of the opposition alliance, said on Tuesday.
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6/21/2011
Ruling Party ‘Waiting’ For Next Opposition Move
The ruling Republican Party (HHK) challenged the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) on Tuesday to respond to the terms of a political dialogue with the government set by President Serzh Sarkisian.
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6/7/2011
Sarkisian Scoffs At Opposition Dialogue Proposals
President Serzh Sarkisian began a dialogue with the Armenian National Congress (HAK) “a long time ago” and will therefore not form a special negotiating team expected by the opposition grouping, his chief of staff said on Tuesday.
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6/1/2011
Opposition Bloc Names Negotiating Team For ‘Dialogue’
The main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) named late on Thursday five senior members that will represent it in anticipated negotiations with President Serzh Sarkisian’s administration.
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5/27/2011
No More ‘Political Prisoners’ In Armenia, Says Ter-Petrosian
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian told supporters that Armenians will not be imprisoned for their political activities anymore as he welcomed the release of his two prominent loyalists from prison over the weekend.
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5/13/2011
Armenia Criticized By Amnesty International
Amnesty International criticized the Armenian authorities’ human rights record on Friday, singling out what it sees as their failure to combat police brutality and domestic violence and to introduce “genuine” civilian service.
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5/9/2011
Council Of Europe Official Again Urges Release Of Armenian Oppositionists
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, on Monday again urged the Armenian authorities to free all opposition members remaining in prison and properly investigate the March 2008 unrest in Yerevan.
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5/5/2011
Armenian Watchdog Sees Little Action Against Corruption
The Armenian authorities are still doing little to tackle endemic government corruption, the Armenian branch of the anti-graft group Transparency International said on Thursday.
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4/19/2011
Opposition Activist Walks Free From Court
An Armenian opposition activist and former boxer controversially arrested last month walked free from court on Tuesday despite being convicted of assaulting police officers during an opposition rally in Yerevan.
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4/11/2011
U.S. Remains Critical Of Armenian Human Rights Record
The United States has again criticized the Armenian authorities’ human rights record, saying that they continue to restrict citizens’ right to change their government, put pressure on courts and tolerate police abuses.
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4/8/2011
Thousands rally against Armenia government
YEREVAN — Up to 10,000 anti-government protesters rallied in the capital of ex-Soviet Armenia on Friday and occupied a central square after riot police withdrew to prevent clashes.
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3/11/2011
Word Game: Armenian opposition reacts to president’s public speeches
President Serzh Sargsyan’s interviews and major policy speeches in recent days have been largely viewed as pre-election talk and an indirect answer to the long list of demands put forward to the government by the main opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) at its latest well-attended public rally on March 1.
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3/10/2011
Armenian Rights Group Urges Release Of 'Political Prisoners'
YEREVAN -- A coalition of nongovernmental organizations in Armenia is calling for the release of all jailed opposition members, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.
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3/1/2011
Ter-Petrosian In ‘Last Warning’ To Armenian Leadership
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian ramped up pressure on Armenia’s leadership on Tuesday, again rallying thousands of supporters in Yerevan and telling the authorities to hold snap elections or face a popular revolt.
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2/25/2011
L.Zurabyan: “Opposition gives the last chance to the authorities”
Opposition, public and the authorities are preparing for the March 1 rally, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) Levon Zurabyan said on February 25.
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2/24/2011
Opposition Announces New Campaign Of Anti-Government Rallies
The main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) announced on Friday the start of a fresh campaign of rallies in Yerevan which it hopes will force Armenia’s leadership to hold snap presidential and parliamentary elections.
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2/18/2011
Ter-Petrosian Insists On Snap Polls, Warns Of Anti-Government Unrest
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian warned Armenia’s leadership to hold fresh elections or face the kind of unrest that has rocked Arab states as he held his largest rally since the bloody suppression of his 2008 post-election protests in Yerevan on Friday.
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2/16/2011
CPJ released a report on Armenia
The organization “Committee to Protect Journalists” has released the annual report on attacking the journalists in different countries. Times.am presents the report on Armenia completely.
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2/11/2011
Rights Groups Skeptical About New Police Chief
Human rights abuses committed by Armenian law-enforcement bodies will likely continue unabated under the new chief of the national police, Vladimir Gasparian, well-known civil rights activists said on Wednesday.
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1/28/2011
Armenian opposition set to hold a series of rallies
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) is set to hold a series of rallies, with the first rally scheduled to be held on February 18, 2011 in Liberty Square in Yerevan.
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1/21/2011
U.S. Envoy Meets Ter-Petrosian
Marie Yovanovitch, the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, met on Friday with opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian to discuss the internal political situation and external challenges facing the country.
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1/19/2011
Council Of Europe Official Concerned About Jailed Armenian Oppositionists
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, has expressed concern about the continuing imprisonment of Armenian opposition members during a fact-finding visit to Yerevan, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.
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1/7/2011
Armenian Military Investigates Violent Incident
Military authorities in Armenia said on Friday that they have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged beating of two civilians by a senior army officer. One of them reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries and remains a critical condition.
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12/10/2010
Hundreds Rally In Yerevan On Human Rights Day
Hundreds of opposition supporters marched through central Yerevan on Friday to mark International Human Rights Day and reiterate opposition demands for the release of Armenia’s remaining “political prisoners.”
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12/9/2010
Yerevan mayor 'hits aide' over Placido Domingo concert
The mayor of Armenia's capital Yerevan has resigned after allegations that he attacked a presidential aide over a seat at a Placido Domingo concert.
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12/9/2010
Survey Says Armenians See Increased Corruption
One in two Armenians thinks that corruption in their country has become more widespread in the past three years despite stated government efforts to combat it, according to a new opinion poll commissioned by Transparency International and released on Thursday.
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11/12/2010
HAK supporters and police clash in Yerevan
An incident has been reported near the Office of Prosecutor General where the Armenian National Congress (HAK) is holding a piquet in an attempt to voice its concerns over the authorities' illegal programs and operations posing threat to Nikol Pashinyan's life.
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11/12/2010
Ombudsman expresses readiness to help Nikol Pashinyan
On the night of November 11, at 3:54 a.m., Armenian Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan received a telephone call from the wife of Haykakan Zhamanak daily editor Nikol Pashinyan who informed the ombudsman about an assault on Nikol in the Kosh penitentiary institution.
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11/9/2010
Youth arrested
This morning police arrested HAK activists participating in the picket held in front of "Golden Tulip" Hotel in Yerevan where the two-day seminar on "EU-Armenia: Civil Society" is being held.
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11/9/2010
Speech by Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Dear fellow Armenians,
Since today's rally was convened on the occasion of the human rights seminar taking place in Yerevan within the framework of the "EU-Armenia Dialogue", the main topic of my speech will be the issue of political prisoners again. Perhaps this is the most appropriate occasion to finally clarify the Armenian National Congress's position on that issue.
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10/27/2010
Armenia Remembers 1999 Parliament Shoot-Out Victims
Armenia marked on Wednesday the 11th anniversary of an armed attack on its parliament that left its prime minister, parliament speaker and six other officials dead and had lasting political repercussions for the country.
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10/19/2010
“Devil inside, priest outside”
In his speech from the rostrum, leader of the "Hanrapetutyun" Party Aram Sargsyan touched upon one question-the protection of human rights in Armenia and said there is nothing being done in that direction.
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10/19/2010
Levon Ter-Petrosyan: Retribution time is close”
Leader of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan started his speech with difficulty as the people gathered near the Matenadaran kept screaming "Levon, Levon" for several minutes.
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10/15/2010
Ter-Petrosian Decries ‘Incredible’ Corruption
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian accused Armenia’s leadership of presiding over an “incredibly” corrupt political and economic system at a fresh rally held by his Armenian National Congress (HAK) on Friday.
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10/8/2010
HAK activists bypass Liberty Square
Young activists of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) today held a march in downtown Yerevan chanting "Freedom to Liberty Square," "Armenia's survival depends on you."
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10/1/2010
Levon Ter-Petrosyan addresses letter to CoE Secretary General
Armenia's first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan addressed a letter to CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland
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9/20/2010
Ter-Petrosian Warns Yerevan Against Karabakh Deal
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian warned President Serzh Sarkisian against making an unpopular peace deal with Azerbaijan as his Armenian National Congress (HAK) launched what it called a “new wave” of anti-government street protests late on Friday.
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9/20/2010
Ter-Petrosian Pushes For Broader Opposition Collaboration
Armenia’s main opposition has again called on all “democratic forces” to join its continuing push for a leadership change in the country, indicating that last month’s elections to Yerevan’s municipal council swept by the ruling party brought forth no need for changing its further action mode.
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12/25/2009
Policemen are tried and amnestied
A Yerevan court today sentenced Kentron district policemen Gegham Harutyunyan and Hovhannes Ghukasyan to two years' imprisonment.
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12/24/2009
OLIGARCHY IS THE THREAT
On December 24, summing up and assessing the year 2009, the representative of the Armenian National Congress David Shahnazaryan said the year did not bring any achievement to Armenia, instead the economic decrease showed that the oligarchic system is one of the threats to the Armenian national security.
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12/11/2009
WHEN IS THE END? - Open Letter by Lilia Chakarian
Mr. non-legal President, you can consider my article as an open letter as well. It has almost been a year since you have started playing your role, which is called the President of the Republic of Armenia, and it should be said that you play it pretty bad. Not only me, but any Armenian, I believe, would not think that during the independence, about which we had been dreaming, we will be among the world’s countries that are reckoned to those which violate human rights, have despotic regime, have violated press, have reporters, who are persecuted and corrupted, and have shameful social-economic conditions. So, as you sow, you shall mow... Well, everything one after another... The tragedy of your governing began with the addition of another sad day to the history of Armenia. You are right. March 1st can be reckoned among the memorial days of innocent victims, can be reckoned among another genocide day, this time not by Turks, but by Armenian authorities – a crime against one’s own nation. The authority, which Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the leader of ANC (Armenian National Congress), called Tatar-Mongol regime. The door of the Armenian Government was knocked with bloody hands. I think it is needless to talk about election falsifications, because since 1998 and until the present, all elections in Armenia had been falsified and the brilliant proof to that are severe censures of the authorities of Armenia by different international organizations: the US State Department, Human Rights, Freedom House, Helsinki Human Rights Committee, European Council… Shall I continue or that is enough?
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12/9/2009
LEVON TER-PETROSYAN MET WITH THE UN-ARMENIA DIALOGUE MISSION
On December 8, the Armenian first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan met with the Armenia-EU dialogue mission on human rights - the Sweden's ambassador for Human issues Jan Axel Nordlander
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6/12/2009
Ter-Petrosian Pushes For Broader Opposition Collaboration
Armenia’s main opposition has again called on all “democratic forces” to join its continuing push for a leadership change in the country, indicating that last month’s elections to Yerevan’s municipal council swept by the ruling party brought forth no need for changing its further action mode.
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6/6/2009
STATEMENT ON THE ANNULEMENT OF THE FACT-FINDING GROUP
On June 6, Serzh Sargsyan annulled his executive order on the establishment of the Fact-Finding Group of Experts, and thereby put an end to the activities of the Group.
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6/4/2009
Invalid elections in three polling stations
According to Part 4, Article 40 of the RA Electoral Code, in the case of invalid results of elections, the present materials are presented to the prosecutor's office to instigate a criminal case.
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6/3/2009
Citizens complain of election outcome
Part of Yerevan citizens regret participating in the May 31 mayoral election.
A1+ conducted a poll to learn our citizens' opinion on the Sunday vote.
Most of our respondents say the outcome of the election was predetermined and their votes were ignored.
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6/1/2009
People expect HAK to act
"We feared lest you should be disappointed with the election outcome. But your presence and determination encourage us to continue the struggle," senior oppositionist Ararat Zurabyan said during today's rally of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK).
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6/1/2009
"Shame on you!"
"The electoral system of Armenia was finally ruined after yesterday's election," announced Amalia Kostanyan, Head of the Transparency International Organization.
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5/31/2009
Levon Ter-Petrosyan will express his opinion tomorrow
HAK's candidate for Yerevan's Mayor, Levon Ter-Petrosyan voted at Precinct 9/10 at 1.00 p.m.
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5/31/2009
Came from Gyumri to vote
Ten "Gazel" minibuses were parked in front of the Armenian Football Federation building until 5 p.m., while drivers were sitting on the sidewalks.
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5/29/2009
Opposition newspapers bought up
"Aravot," "Haykakan Zhamanak," "Hayq" and "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" dailies disappeared from the kiosks of Erebuni District today morning. A group of people bought up all copies of the aforesaid newspapers.
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5/29/2009
Levon Ter-Petrossian's Speech at the May 29, 2009 Rally
Dear compatriots,
Today I will try to refrain from going into a systematized analysis of domestic and foreign policy issues as I will limit myself to some observations only, which are deduced from the current situation.
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5/29/2009
HAK rallies thousands near the Matenadaran
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) today concluded its election campaign with a rally near the Matenadaran.
The opening ceremony was trusted to "Mher Manukyan" rock group which performed songs authored by Nikol Pashinyan.
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3/15/2009
Levon Ter-Petrosyan to Run for Yerevan Mayor
Today, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first president of Armenia, was selected to head the ticket of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) in the upcoming Yerevan mayoral election.
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2/27/2009
10/23/2008
Arman Babajanian: Imprisoned For His Political Activity - By Sarkis Chakarian
The 32 year old chief editor and founder of Zhamanak – Yerevan daily Armenian newspaper, Arman Babajanian was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in the year of 2006 for something he did not do.
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10/14/2008
TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVE THAT THE JAW AND BLOOD ARE UNEDITED
The activities of the NA temporary committee on the March 1 events are getting more and more absurd. For months, the committee was trying to find out at what time the dispersion of demonstrators from Freedom Square began and when it ended, and then they tried to confuse the Armenian public claiming that the video going around was edited and the scenes of a person’s jaw or blood did not correspond to the reality.
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10/10/2008
Armenian Opposition Sees ‘Turning Point’ In Struggle
Next week’s opposition rally in Yerevan will mark a “turning point” in the Armenian opposition’s year-long struggle against the government, a top ally of former President Levon Ter-Petrosian said on Friday.
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10/8/2008
OPPOSITION CLAIM PARTIALLY UPHELD
The judge of the Armenian Administrative Court Artsrun Mirzoyan has partly upheld the claim of the Armenian National Congress against the Yerevan City Hall.
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10/2/2008
“I JOINED LEVON WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE”
We joined the Movement and are going to stay as long as the people never lose faith in Levon Ter-Petrosyan. I joined the movement with a clear conscience. We are going to fight until the end, that is, until we see Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the big chair,” stated today Jirair Sefilyan in response to those who think that Sefilyan regrets standing by Levon Ter-Petrosyan and joining the Armenian National Congress. This was the only statement made by Sefilyan on this topic. His main topic today was the foreign policies of the authorities and promised “A1+” to discuss domestic policies as well.
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9/2/2008
LEVON TER-PETROSYAN REVEALS THREE MORE DOCUMENTS
On September 2 the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan held a news conference and revealed three documents which, according to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, are evidence to the monstrous crimes of the present government which it commits against the society and the state, as well as indicate the level of the spheres of law enforcement and justice.
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9/2/2008
Ter-Petrosian Unsure Of Success
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian sounded a cautious note about his forthcoming fresh push for regime change on Tuesday, saying that both the Armenian authorities and his opposition movement are “in deadlock” after months of bitter political confrontation.
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8/9/2008
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION INSISTS ON PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION, NEW ELECTIONS
The Armenian opposition insists on President Serzh Sargsyan's
resignation and the holding of new presidential elections, Ruzanna
Khachatrian, a member of the board of the opposition People's Party,
said at a press conference on Thursday.
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8/9/2008
ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST: "ARMENIA'S WORKING POWERS DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL IMAGE OF THE COUNTRY AND PURSUE THEIR OWN INTERESTS"
"The only external task of Armenian powers today is to conceal their
crimes", said representative of opposition Public movement David
Shahnazaryan.
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8/7/2008
DAVID SHAHNAZARIAN: MOST IMPORTANT TASK OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT IS TO HOLD EARLY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA
The most imprtant task of People's
Movement (PM) and the currently forming Armenian National Congress
(ANC) is to remove Serzh Sargsyan from his post and hold early
presidential elections, representative of the PM center David
Shahnazarian stated at the August 7 press conference, adding that it
is necessary to establish legal power through elections and restore
the constitutional order in Armenia.
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8/6/2008
ARMENIA: PUSH FOR KOCHARIAN TRIAL -- A PUSH FOR PR?
In a move that could very well hamper rather than promote political reconciliation in Armenia, the country’s leading opposition politician, Levon Ter-Petrosian, is mounting a campaign to have former president Robert Kocharian tried for "heavy crimes" against the Armenian people.
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8/6/2008
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DEMANDS PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION
Armenian opposition leader and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian
demanded President Serzh Sargsyan's resignation and the calling of
early presidential elections at an opposition rally on Friday.
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8/2/2008
Armenian opposition gets organized: protests to heat up in September
Despite unbearable heat and vacation season almost at its height, thousands joined the opposition rally in central Yerevan sending a very clear message to the authorities that discontent with the current state of affairs has no signs of fading away. It was despite reportedly blocking the roads to the capital (surprise-surprise!) to prevent people from the regions to attend the rally. It was despite the ‘killing’ heat which forced many people to gather in surrounding areas, under the shade, and then join the post-rally march, which was impressive by any standards. With its inability to alleviate political crisis, administration of Armenia’s incumbent president Serj Sargsyan faces the very real possibility of high scale popular upheaval in months to come.
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7/19/2008
When You One Tries to Bypass the Bloodshed of March 1st
July 19 is the hundredth day of Serge Sargsyan’s presidency. Usually, this is the period when the first steps of a president are assessed and conclusions on his further steps are made. What can be concluded from one hundred days of presidency of Serge Sargsyan? Almost nothing or that during those one hundred days the presidency did not start. The point is that Serge Sargsyan has been unable to solve the most important problem, the legitimacy of the government. Unless this problem is solved, presidency cannot be considered as complete even if one is president for ten years or even one hundred years.
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6/27/2008
CHARGES INTRODUCED TO CHAIRMAN OF THE PRECINCT ELECTORAL COMMISSION 13/16
According to the communication of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office of June 27, the Chairman of the Precinct Electoral Commission 13/16 of Erebuni community of Yerevan Vasil Afian was charged on Article 149 of the RA Criminal Code (“Obstruction of the realization of the right to vote, the work of electoral commissions or the competence of people taking part in elections”). The case was directed to the court of general jurisdiction of Erebuni and Nubarashen communities of Yerevan.
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6/26/2008
Armenian Government Failed to Lull March 1 Murders Issue
The CoE secretary general Terry Davis said in an interview with Radio Liberty that the most important is the investigation of the murders of March 1.
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6/5/2008
Levon Ter-Petrosyan "Youth is the pillar of our society"
Armenia’s First President addressed the rally at Liberty Square today.
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6/4/2008
DID THE SIDES START A DIALOGUE_
Member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun (ARF) Alvard Petrossian would have participated in Ter-Petrossian’s rallies and political strolls in Northern Avenue if she hadn’t broken her leg. “I live in Armenia and I am interested in all events occurring in my homeland,” Alvard Petrossian said today.
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5/28/2008
ADVANCING FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY REPORTS 2008
Armenia is a constitutional republic with a popularly elected president and a unicameral legislature (National Assembly). The February 2008 presidential elections were significantly flawed. Problems included favorable treatment of the government's candidate, instances of ballot stuffing, vote-buying, multiple voting, voter intimidation, violence against opposition commission members and proxies, and suspiciously high turnout figures. On March 1, 2008, the government imposed a state of emergency and used force to disperse large crowds of protesters, restricting media freedoms and the right of assembly and arresting scores of protesters.
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4/29/2008
Judge orders resumed inquest into appeal in dismissed “Death in Police Custody” Case
Last May Levon Gulyan, 31, was taken to police for questioning as a presumed witness of a murder committed near a restaurant that belonged to him and several hours later his family received his dead body.
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4/18/2008
ARMENIA: US OFFICIALS SAY YEREVAN RISKS LOSING DEVELOPMENT FUNDS
Armenia could lose US economic support if it does not quickly take action to promote a "national dialogue," US legislators and administration officials are cautioning.
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4/18/2008
The Council of Europe threatens to deny Armenia the right to vote
4/14/2008
Political Prisoner: Arman Babajanian - By Sarkis Chakarian
Arrested in June 26, 2006 in Yerevan Armenia, Arman Babajanian, never saw it coming. He was visiting Armenia as his newspaper “Zhamanak”, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, opened its Armenian Branch in Yerevan, Armenia. It was several days after “Zhamanak” started operating in Yerevan, when Arman Babajanian was imprisoned. The charges that were brought against him are supposedly regarding him not serving in the Armenian army. The actual charge brought forth by the prosecution was “Avoidance of military service, military exercise or summons”. In addition, the authorities convicted Arman Babajanian, not only for not serving in Armenian Army, but also for supposedly making fraudulent documents to dismiss his requirement in serving in the Armenian army. Their accusation of forging documents to avoid drafting for military service in November 2002 and avoidance of military service followed by a conviction to a sentence of 3.5 years in prison.
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3/21/2008
Bloody Saturday: A breakdown of the day that broke a nation
The cloak of darkness and repression that fell on Yerevan late on March 1 began as a beaming promise to voters under drizzly October skies. Armenia’s opposition, silenced in 2003 by a show of political might, and in 2004 by physical force, once again found its voice with the return to politics of the country’s first elected president Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
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3/7/2008
Dark Days in Armenia
The democracy that Armenians dreamed of during their long decades under Moscow’s yoke is slipping away. After opponents challenged last month’s flawed presidential election, the government imposed a brutal state of emergency. At least eight people are now dead, independent news outlets throttled and all protests silenced. President Bush and other Western leaders need to make clear to Armenia’s government that such behavior is unacceptable and will jeopardize future relations. Compared to post-Soviet tyrannies like Belarus or Uzbekistan, Armenia may not look so bad. That is why it is so important to halt this slide into authoritarianism before it is too late.
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3/3/2008
Internet is being consored in Armenia
In the evening of March 2, the Internet Society of Armenia (ISOC) has ILLEGALLY stopped the maintenance of several domains, including A1+ - www.a1plus.am, Haykakan Zhamanak – www.azatutyun.am, E-channel – www.echannel.am. In the database of ISOC- https://www.amnic.net/whois/ , they are registered as “on hold.”
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3/2/2008
Armenia: Civilians Die as Police Suppress Demonstrations and Riots
The Armenian government should launch a prompt and independent investigation into the use of lethal force by security forces to quell demonstrations and rioting overnight on March 1, 2008, Human Rights Watch said today. The violence occurred after a 20-day state of emergency was declared by President Robert Kocharian in response to an alleged threat to public order posed by opposition demonstrators.
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3/2/2008
Armenia: Police Beat Peaceful Protesters in Yerevan - State of Emergency Restricts Civil Liberties and Free Press
Armenian police on March 1 used excessive force and violence to disperse demonstrators protesting peacefully against recent election results, Human Rights Watch said today. Following the crackdown on demonstrators, President Robert Kocharian decreed a state of emergency in Yerevan, the capital, until March 20, 2008. There was a heavy police presence overnight in central Yerevan.
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2/14/2008
Armenia crackdown: an ex-Soviet pattern?
Armenia is the latest in a string of ex-Soviet countries to crack down hard on peaceful protesters alleging electoral fraud. Last weekend, security forces – using truncheons, tear gas, and stun guns – dispersed several thousand supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
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