HRW: Political tensions and growing insecurity from unresolved  conflict over Nagorno- Karabakh dominated events in Armenia

ArmInfo.Political tensions and growing insecurity from the unresolved conflict over  Nagorno-Karabakh dominated events in Armenia. international human  rights organization, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), stated in the  World Report 2023:  Rights Trends in Armenia. 

The report notes, that authorities pursued ambitious judicial,  police, and constitutional reforms. Human rights problems included  ill-treatment by law enforcement, interference with freedom of  assembly, domestic violence, discrimination against people with  disabilities, and violence and discrimination based on sexual  orientation and gender identity.

"Law enforcement interfered with freedom of assembly during protests  throughout the year. The Armenian Helsinki Committee, a non-  governmental group, documented disproportionate use of force during  opposition protests in May and June," the report notes.

At the same time, it points to an increase in violence against  journalists.  "Through June 2022, they documented 12 incidents with  13 victims, perpetrated by both public officials and private  individuals. Most happened during various opposition protests. CPFE  reported 23 cases of other types of pressure during the same period,"  the human rights activists of the Organization noted.

As a positive move, it is noted that Armenia decriminalized "severe  insult," removing the offence from the criminal code.  "Armenia  increased fines for failure to provide official information upon  request, but CPFE reported 69 cases of violation of the right to  receive and disseminate information." However, it is stated that the  Russia-brokered truce broke down several times as Azerbaijan made  incursions in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. "The political opposition  blamed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, held ongoing protests, and  demanded his resignation.  Armenian authorities reported that the  fighting temporarily displaced more than 7,600 civilians, mostly  women and children, from three regions of Armenia that border  Azerbaijan and damaged or destroyed numerous residential buildings.  Sporadic incidents of military hostilities continued to threaten the  safety and livelihoods of civilians residing in villages in  Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border," they  noted.

HRW noted that Armenian authorities reported that the September 2022  fighting killed at least three civilians and temporarily displaced  more than 7,600 civilians, mostly women and children, from three  regions of Armenia that border Azerbaijan, and damaged or destroyed  numerous residential buildings. Three ethnic Armenian civilians were  also killed in Nagorno Karabakh in earlier conflict-related  incidents.

"A video authenticated by Human Rights Watch showed the extrajudicial  execution of at least seven Armenian soldiers, apparently by  Azerbaijani forces, during the September 2022 fighting.  According to  Armenian lawyers, at least 30 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and  three civilians remain captured in relation to the 2020 hostilities  remain in Azerbaijani custody by October 2022. Azerbaijani  authorities do not recognize any of these individuals as POWs.   According to the Ombudswoman's office, as of late August, 303 people,  a mix of civilians and military, remain missing from the 2020  hostilities.  Lawyers and human rights groups in Armenia allege that  some were last seen alive in the custody of Azerbaijani forces," the  HRW report reads.