Many representatives of civil society, citizens, civil initiatives such as “Freedom to political prisoners”, “Daredevils of Sassoun”, and “Davit Sanasaryan”, etc., who raised a wave of public protests against mass illegal imprisonments and human rights violations in Armenia, today on 8th July, 2016, addressed a letter to the President and Secretary General of the EPP (European People’s Party) Mr. Joseph Daul. Currently, there are about 3,000 signatures under this letter. The letter is open for further signatures. Other civil initiatives are continuing to join.
Cher President Daul,
As you might be aware, currently the Armenian people are in dire need of intervention by concerned international organizations; the European People’s Party (EPP) might happen to be that entity!
Please, help!
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For many years the ruling Party of Armenia has been the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). RPA is a member of the EPP and is therefore bound by EPP’s rules and regulations. However, ever since coming to power in Armenia, RPA has been ruling Armenia contrary to EPP’s commitments and principles.
Among EPP’s vast community of values and principles are “freedom, responsibility, justice, security, respect for the dignity of human life and equality between men and women.” Today, more than ever, RPA has violated those European principles.
Unfortunately, any effort by the Armenian people to change RPA’s course of actions is met with RPA’s oppressive reactions, such as police brutality, unfair judicial proceedings, and tortures of detainees. Over the past months, ever-increasingly, the RPA, comprised of the Armenian President, his administration, his patronized judicial, executive and legislative branches, has violated the basic freedoms of Armenian citizens; i.e. freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
As a result, currently Armenia has over 120 political prisoners and detainees who were detained solely for exercising freedom of speech and expressing their political views.
Such expressions of freedom have been immediately and vehemently oppressed by RPA’s police force with brutal and unlawful techniques, such as kidnapping, unlawful arrests, and utilizing excessive force. Furthermore, RPA, with its executive and judicial branches, has violated the political detainees’ and prisoners’ dignity. First, the basic human right against torture has been greatly violated. There are numerous reports of the detainees beaten and endangering their lives, which has resulted in kidney failure, broken jaws, burning, etc.
Despite those reports, the judicial branches continue to send the mutilated and tortured detainees to jail, rather than ordering their hospitalization. Second, RPA, with its executive branches, has deprived the political detainees’ and prisoners’ of their basic human rights and basic necessities like food and medical treatment. There are numerous reports that the detainees, who had sustained injuries and required surgeries, have been denied of proper medical treatment. Third, the detainees’ right of visitation by the relatives has been violated.
Unfortunately, RPA is evading any responsibility for the above violations; the corrupt and RPA-led judicial system works against justice and against the Armenian people; there is no security for the Armenian people, and there is no respect for the dignified human life. People are demanding to put an end to this corrupt, authoritarian, and treacherous regime, led by the current president and his administration.
During the period of 17-31st July, 2016, more than 675 citizens were illegally taken to police departments, internal forces, illegally imprisoned, beaten and pressured and were subjected to physical violence during the peaceful protests. There are still missing persons, and there is no information about them yet. On 28th July, this number exceeded 1,000. The family members of peaceful protesters are persecuted and imprisoned. Many intelligent opponents are in jails now. Mass repressions continue up to this day.
Three of Heritage Political Party’s senior members (vice president Armen Martirosyan, spokesman Davit Sanasaryan,and civil-society liaison Hovsep Khurhsudyan), and rights activist Andrias Ghukasyan, all of them model, law-abiding citizens, have just been arrested, without the possibility of bail, for guiding a peaceful demonstration and standing as buffer between citizens and policemen and thus ruling out any violence between the two.
The prevailing lawlessness and gross human rights violations are forcing the people to emigration at high and alarming rates, which has been unprecedented over the past decade. The Armenian people are fleeing to Europe, USA and other countries seeking asylum. According to reports of the state statistical agency of the Republic of Armenia, in the first half of this year, over 91,904 people have left Armenia and have not returned.
It is needless to say that aforementioned injustices and absence of security in Armenia are the consequences of Russia’s huge influence on the RPA party.
In view of RPA’s above violations of EPP party’s commitments, we ask EPP to immediately intervene and demand from its member RPA to stop these violations. Time is of the essence now, in view of the potential irreparable societal and individual consequences caused by RPA’s brutality and injustice.
We hereby urge that EPP use all its leverages and apply all possible sanctions, including but not restricted to officially exclude RPA from EPP’s membership, and demand RPA to immediately stop its orchestrated violations.
Thank you in advance for your immediate attention.
