From: Daria Solovieva (dsolovieva@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri Feb 27 2004 - 13:04:01 EST
In its annual report on human rights worldwide, which was released on 25
February, the U.S. State Department characterized Armenia's human rights
record as "poor," RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The report, which is
posted on the department's website (http://www.state.gov), specifically
condemned widespread irregularities during the presidential and parliamentary
elections last year, and also minor limitations on media freedom, including the
inability of the independent television station A1+ to resume broadcasting. The
report also described Azerbaijan's human rights record in 2003 as "poor,"
similarly pointing to "serious abuses," including the police crackdown on
opposition activists who protested the perceived falsification of the outcome of
the 15 October presidential election, some 700 of whom were arrested. The
report further criticized police brutality, the use of torture against detainees, the
holding of some 180 political prisoners, financial pressure on independent
media, and the use of state-controlled media to propagandize government
policy and demonize the opposition, Turan reported on 26 February. LF
|
