ArmInfo.The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the eventual influx into Armenia of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians who fled the Azerbaijani enclave dominated events in the country in 2023. This is stated in the report of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch as part of its review of the human rights situation in the world in the Armenia section.
The report notes that "while constitutional reforms stalled, authorities continued to pursue sectoral reforms with respect to the judiciary, police, disability rights, and education. Human rights groups raised concerns over the efficacy of judicial reforms and impartiality of the accountability process for judges suspected of alleged infractions.
They also criticized the lack of comprehensive police reforms. Areas of continuing human rights concerns include ill-treatment of detainees by law enforcement, domestic violence, discrimination against people with disabilities, and violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
Regarding the consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the organization's analysts note that Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians, almost the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, fled for Armenia in September following a military operation by Azerbaijan to regain full control over the enclave. Azerbaijan's military operation followed months of acute shortages of food, medication, hygiene products, and other essential supplies to the region due to Azerbaijan's disruption of vehicular and pedestrian traffic between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh since December 2022."
In the section on police abuses and impunity, the authors note that Lack of effective accountability for law enforcement abuses is an ongoing problem. Authorities often pursue investigations into ill-treatment allegations under "abuse of office" offenses, which carry lighter penalties. In April 2023, during a drug prevention operation in Yerevan, police used disproportionate force against employees and visitors at a night club and briefly detained dozens of them. Several alleged that police and investigators ill-treated them based on their assumed or real sexual orientation and gender identity. Au thorities initiated an abuse-of-power case against police, recognizing at least six people as victims, but no charges had been brought at time of writing. In February, two lawyers representing a detained child reported that several officers physically assaulted them following an argument at a police precinct. Authorities charged two officers with the criminal offense of manhandling; the investigation was pending at time of writing. In June, another lawyer alleged that police used physical violence against him and his client at a Yerevan police station. Authorities charged three officers with ill-treating the defendant, but they also charged the lawyer with hooliganism and hindering lawful police actions. In another case, Armenian law enforcement bodies dropped a criminal investigation into the April beating by a senior police officer of a 17-year-old child who was working as a waiter in a restaurant at the time. The prosecutor claimed that the perpetrator "fully regretted" his actions and apologized to the victim. Following public outcry, law enforcement bodies reopened the investigation, suspended the officer from active duty, and charged him with causing a child severe physical pain. In June, the independent Monitoring Group of Institutions for Children, Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities reported violence against children at a child support center and alleged that a police officer mistreated one of the children. Authorities did not investigate the allegations, claiming that the report did not include enough factual information."
Regarding freedom of speech and information in the country, they note: "Although defamation is decriminalized, politicians and private businesses often bring civil cases against journalists and media outlets, dragging them into lengthy legal battles, and threatening heavy financial penalties. A local media advocacy group reported that from January through September, media outlets faced 23 new defamation suits. In March, parliament passed amendments establishing additional grounds for denying public information requests. Under the new regulation, an agency can refuse to provide information if it contains "official information of limited distribution," vague language that opens the door to unwarranted censorship," HRW notes.
The report also identifies the lack of a comprehensive plan to introduce community-based services for people with psychosocial intellectual disabilities, and prioritises institutions and institutional care.
It also calls for adequate protection of women from violence. In this vein, it is noted that "Armenia has only two shelters for domestic violence survivors, together having a capacity to shelter 24 women plus their children. According to the Women's Support Center, a local group, the shelters are continuously full, and protection of women remains ineffective and marred by court rulings invalidating police urgent intervention orders".
The section on sexual orientation and gender identity emphasizes: "Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people continue to face discrimination, harassment, and violence." "In a positive move, Armenian authorities in December 2022 lifted a policy prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood."
The International Key Actors section, in particular, notes:
"European Council President Charles Michel hosted meetings throughout 2023 with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, discussing issues related to the Lachin corridor (the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia), border delimitation, transport links, and the peace agreement that would also address the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh's ethnic Armenian population. The United States also mediated several rounds of discussions between the Armenian and Azerbaijan foreign ministers aimed at reaching a "durable peace agreement." In February, the European Union launched the civilian mission in Armenia (EUMA), deploying 50 observers along the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan and aiming to contribute to stability, build confidence in conflict-affected areas, and ensure an environment "conducive to the normalisation efforts" between the parties. In its November 2022 Concluding Observations, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women urged Armenia to ensure better representation of women in all branches of government, expedite adoption of a pending law on legal equality, and adopt a model of "substantive equality." It also called on the authorities to eliminate persistent gender stereotypes within the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, criminalize all forms of genderbased violence against women, and ensure effective investigations into all cases of domestic violence. The Committee also recommended that authorities take measures to combat discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex women and ensure that transgender people, including women, can change the gender marker in their passport and other identity documents. The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries conducted its first visit to Armenia in February 2023. During the June EU- Armenia Partnership Committee, the EU highlighted the importance of an independent and efficient judiciary and the fight against corruption. It also called on Armenian authorities to make additional efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination. In its March resolution on EU-Armenia relations, the European Parliament condemned the blockage of the Lachin corridor and highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno- Karabakh. It also called on Armenia to ratify the Council of Eu rope Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and improve human rights protections, especially for women and minorities, including LGBT people. In October, Armenia's parliament voted to ratify the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court."