Azernews.Az

International rights champion Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Armenian government to investigate allegations of assaults on election observers and journalists that marred the country's February 19 presidential election.
HRW's report entitled "Armenia: Violence at Polling Stations Mars Elections" was posted on its website on Friday. The group documented that at least three journalists were attacked. Lysine Brazilian of the newspaper Hayekian Zhamankak was beaten, and had her camera and voice recorder stolen, when she attempted to document what she believed to be intimidation of voters at a polling station in Yerevan's Erebuni district. A cameraman from the independent A1+ television station was beaten and had his camera taken at the same polling station. Two domestic election observers, Armen Matirosian, a member of parliament from the opposition Heritage party, and Zarui Postandjian, an observer from a nongovernmental organization, were also attacked at this polling station after they tried to raise election violations with polling station officials.
"These election-day attacks targeted the very people trying to ensure the integrity of Armenia's vote," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Armenian government should carry out independent and speedy investigations to ensure justice is served and to send the message that intimidation won't be tolerated."
"The Armenian authorities should ensure that no harm is done to peaceful demonstrators. Armenia claims to be a democratic country, and that means allowing people to exercise their right to freedom of assembly," said Cartner.
HRW said quoting victim testimonies that assailants beat and threatened opposition party activists, domestic observers, and journalists who attempted to document election fraud at polling stations. Most victims had been attempting to expose what they believed to be violations of electoral rules, such as improper voter lists, intimidation of voters and ballot stuffing. HRW called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to look into election-related violence and ensure that its final report on the vote records these incidents.
The OSCE election monitors stated that the elections were held "mostly in line" with international commitments.
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian won at the polls, the election commission said, while the opposition said the vote was rigged. Tens of thousands of supporters of Armenia's first president Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition challenger, took to the streets downtown Yerevan to protest the outcome of the elections and what they believe to be widespread electoral fraud.
Sarkisian gained 52.8% of the votes. He had the backing of incumbent president Robert Kocharian. Ter-Petrosian won 21.5%, according to official tallies. The polling was monitored by some 14,000 observers, including those from the OSCE and dozens from the Council of Europe and other international groups.
A high voter turnout was registered at the polls, which was not the case during the 2007 parliamentary poll. 69% of voters cast their ballots.
HRW said Armenia has a history of flawed elections and harassment of opposition parties. In March 2003, HRW documented widespread ballot stuffing and intimidation during Armenia's presidential election runoff. It documented mass arrests of opposition supporters, violent dispersals of demonstrations, and raids on opposition party headquarters in April 2004. The protests derived from the government's failure to address the many violations of electoral rules documented in the 2003 presidential election.