U.S. Department of State says officials in Armenia use government resources to maintain dominance of ruling party

 U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor has issued Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. The part concerning Armenia says the most significant human rights problems during the year in Armenia were officials' use of government resources to maintain the dominance of the ruling RPA, use of economic and political power by the country's elite to enrich supporters and to corrupt the law enforcement and judicial systems, and limited judicial independence. 

"During the December 6 constitutional referendum, local and international observers, members of civil society, and journalists reported witnessing numerous types of electoral violations, including use of administrative resources, multiple voting, ballot-box stuffing, and the intimidation of commission members and observers by officials. As of December 18, the Republic of Armenia Investigative Committee (RAIC) had initiated 34 criminal cases stemming from the referendum," the report says.
According to the source, other reported problems and abuses included suspicious deaths in the military under noncombat conditions and continued bullying and mistreatment of conscripts by officers and fellow soldiers without accountability. 

"Police employed torture and mistreatment to obtain confessions and reportedly beat and abused citizens during arrest and interrogation. Some prisons were overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacking in medical services for inmates. Authorities continued to arrest and detain persons arbitrarily and without reasonable suspicion. Trials were often lengthy, and courts failed to enforce laws providing for fair trials. Authorities did not adequately enforce laws prohibiting government intrusion of privacy and unlawful searches. The media lacked diversity of political opinion, and most outlets reflected government views. Self-censorship was a problem. There were credible reports that police targeted journalists at citizens' protests. Authorities' respect for freedom of assembly was uneven," the report says. 

Addressing the March 1 2008 events in Yerevan, the reports says: "Although the government took some steps to punish officials in the security forces and elsewhere for human rights abuses, officials often continued to commit abuses with impunity.  Authorities did not hold anyone accountable for the 10 deaths that occurred following post-election clashes in 2008."
"There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, although noncombat deaths in the military continued to be a problem.
In one such instance, on January 29, the Ministry of Defense reported the death of Haykaz Barseghyan, a cadet at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy, who was found hanged at the sports grounds of the academy.
On April 17, the Special Investigation Service (SIS) dropped its investigation of charges that police mistreatment of Vanadzor resident Ani Boshyan led her to attempt suicide in late 2014," the reports says.