By Skylar Yoder
In January, Human Rights Watch released its annual World Report on human rights trends and practices around the globe, including in Armenia. The report highlighted Armenia’s pursuit of judicial, police, disability, and educational reforms in 2023. However, it noted key areas of concern raised by human rights groups, particularly the efficacy of comprehensive judicial and police reforms to hold responsible those who commit violations, including corruption.
One example provided was the police’s disproportionate use of force during a drug raid in a prominent Yerevan nightclub in April 2023, which resulted in an abuse of power case that has yet to result in charges against the officers. Some of those involved believed they were targeted by the police based on their perceived or real sexual orientation or gender identity. According to the report, broader human rights concerns in Armenia 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.”
In the first six months of 2023, 1,051 domestic violence complaints were investigated by authorities, up significantly from the 391 complaints investigated during the same period in 2022. HRW noted that the two women’s shelters in Armenia are overcrowded and insufficient to cover existing needs, with only 24 spaces available at a time for domestic violence survivors. CivilNet recently covered a development in which the Armenian parliament voted on legislation to prevent domestic violence and better protect victims, including by banning virginity testing. The law also proposes that victims of domestic violence receive free healthcare. If adopted, the legislation would be a step in the right direction for protecting women throughout the country.
Additionally, LGBT rights groups reported that “fear of discrimination and humiliation due to public disclosure of their sexual orientation or gender identity continues to prevent many LGBT people from reporting hate crimes.” In addition, Armenia’s Criminal Code does not “explicitly recognize animus due to sexual orientation or gender identity as an aggravating circumstance in hate crimes cases.” Even when cases are investigated, they are often inconclusive, with the charges not reflecting the motives of the perpetrator, according to local rights groups. Recommendations for addressing these issues include criminalizing all forms of gender-based violence, ensuring effective investigations into all cases of domestic violence, and taking steps to eliminate discrimination against and improve human rights protections for all minority groups in Armenia.
HRW’s report mentioned the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the forced displacement of approximately 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the region in September 2023 in both the Armenian and Azerbaijani country sections. HRW noted governmental and NGO concerns with the humanitarian situation created by Azerbaijan and highlighted calls for “the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return” of the ethnic Armenian population to the region. In January, the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Artsakh was officially established to advocate for the return of Karabakh-Armenians to their homeland.
