US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1264

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 001264 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, AM 
SUBJECT: ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN REPORTS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS 
 
REF: A) YEREVAN 1036 B) YEREVAN 1083 
 
Classified By: Amb. John M. Evans for reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. (SBU) On July 7, Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan 
unveiled the GOAM's first Human Rights website and released a 
statistical report on human rights complaints against the 
GOAM.  The event coincided with fresh allegations that the 
Armenian National Security Service (NSS) continues to harass 
Alaverdyan as well as human rights attorneys and their 
clients (reftels).  She discussed these issues with the 
Ambassador in a recent meeting.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
OMBUDSMAN LAUNCHES GOAM HUMAN RIGHTS WEBSITE 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
2. (U) Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan unveiled her 
office's human rights website (www.ombuds.am) at a 
highly-publicized event on July 7.  The website includes 
information in Armenian-, Russian- and English-language about 
the services and activities of the Ombudsman's office.  The 
site also provides an electronic form for submitting human 
rights complaints. 
 
3. (C) According to Alaverdyan, the new website will improve 
access for rural residents to the Ombudsman's services. 
Though we agree the website will likely facilitate an 
increase in official complaints, Alaverdyan's assertion that 
rural residents will significantly benefit ignores the fact 
that the average rural Armenian family can neither afford a 
computer nor has training to use one. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
BREAKDOWN OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE GOAM 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
4. (C) Alaverdyan told us her office received about 850 
written complaints from January through June 2005.  The 
majority of complaints involved police (110), the Ministry of 
Labor and Social Affairs (103), courts (95), the Yerevan 
Municipality (73), other local municipalities (65), the 
Prosecutor General's office (55), the Ministry of Justice 
(46), the Ministry of Defense (44), regional governments 
(36), and the Department of Migration and Refugees (22). 
Alaverdyan renewed her public calls for GOAM officials to 
fund her office at a level appropriate for handling the 
"hundreds of human rights complaints" she receives annually. 
Though Alaverdyan says she reviews each case personally, she 
claims staffing and budgetary constraints limit her ability 
to respond.  Alaverdyan told us privately she believes the 
government limited her budget as part of a larger "campaign" 
to intentionally weaken her effectiveness. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE STILL ASKING QUESTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
5. (C) In May, the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) 
arrested an assistant to Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan (ref A) 
on charges of fraud and corruption.  Following the arrest, 
the NSS raided Alaverdyan's office and confiscated the 
assistant's computer (ref B).  Alaverdyan claimed that, 
despite personal assurances from the NSS director to the 
contrary, the NSS is exploiting information gained from the 
computer to quiet criticism of the Administration's "awful" 
human rights record. 
 
----------------------------------- 
COMMENT: OMBUDSMAN STILL UNDER FIRE 
----------------------------------- 
 
6. (C)  Alaverdyan continues to search for opportunities to 
expand the scope of her duties as Armenia's official human 
rights defender.  The UNDP-funded website will likely attract 
more publicity for the Ombudsman and more human rights 
complaints against the GOAM, but Alaverdyan's ability to 
resolve these complaints and to prevent future human rights 
violations remains in question.  Her public condemnation of 
the Administration's record on human rights continues, as 
does her allegations that the NSS is methodically exploiting 
her confidential computer files to silence the 
Administration's critics. 
EVANS