Armen Arutyunyan calls Armenian authorities to give up totalitarianism

On March 10, at the presentation of his report on the situation with human rights in 2008, Ombudsman Armen Arutyunyan called the country leaders to give up the administrative repressive model that was inherited from Soviet times and pass over to democratic rule with ensuring the balance mechanism and actual division of power branches.

A special place in Mr Arutyunyan's report of 250-odd pages was given to the problem of the atmosphere of fear that exists in the country. According to the Ombudsman, the analysis of the situation shows that because of the repressive system, the atmosphere of fear in the Armenian society does not go down.

Armen Arutyunyan has noted that the present Armenia authorities have inherited from the Soviet period the repressive system and the resulting deformation of public relations; they should be got rid of. Today, the basic pillars of this repressive system are still the Prosecutor's Office and the Special Investigatory Group (SIG).

According to the Ombudsman, the style of work of the SIG results in a great number of persons applying to the Ombudsman and complaining that they are forced to evidence against themselves or third persons.

In his report Mr Arutyunyan draws attention to cases of violence against journalists. In particular, in his presentation, he quoted beating by policemen of Goar Veziryan, a journalist of the oppositional newspaper "Chorord Ishkhanutyun", as an example of violation of the freedom of speech and safety of journalists. The Ombudsman has stated that he has a video, confirming the fact of beating, at his disposal.

Armen Arutyunyan has also expressed his aversion of "differentiated application of legislation", as the case was with the property of one of oppositional activists at the "Bzhni" mineral water factory, and in case of the GALA TV Company, non-controlled by the authorities.

According to the Ombudsman, in 2008, the authorities gave 90 refusals to the opposition on holding rallies and marches, thus, breaching the rights of people to the freedom of assemblies, marches and demonstrations. Meanwhile, during the sanctioned rallies and marches not a single violation of public order was registered, as Ombudsman Arutyunyan has stated.