Human Rights Defender Receives Complaints of Coercion for Testimonies on Electoral Bribery, Group Deployed to Syunik

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia has received complaints regarding law enforcement agencies in Syunik province subjecting various residents of the Goris community to detention and coercion to provide testimonies that do not correspond to reality. This was announced by the Office of the Human Rights Defender.

The statement also notes, “There are also publications online about this matter, which will today be sent to the Prosecutor's Office for investigation purposes. According to the complaints, residents have received social assistance from community bodies at various times, including during 2021; however, law enforcement agencies, including police officers, detain them without grounds, deprive them of their freedom for hours, and force them to provide directed testimonies suggesting that the heads of the enlarged Goris community, as well as the heads of Karahunj and Vorotan communities, have provided their social assistance as electoral bribes.”

There are also alerts indicating that residents are being forced to testify on a number of other issues as well. The residents assert that they have consistently received social assistance, which has no connection to elections, voting for the acting Prime Minister, or any political force.

Reports indicate that there is particular pressure on women, with threats of relocating them or their husbands to Yerevan for not providing the requested testimonies, which could lead to arrests or detention.

In light of the complaints and alerts, a group has been dispatched from the Office of the Human Rights Defender to Syunik province to verify issues related to the protection of residents' rights, hold necessary meetings, and take measures. By the instruction of the Human Rights Defender, visits will also be conducted today to the imprisoned heads of the Karahunj and Vorotan administrative districts. Furthermore, a visit will be made today to the head of the Kajaran community at the correctional facility.