ARMENIA PROSECUTES A CASE OF HATE SPEECH

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000506

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT. FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV AM
SUBJECT: ARMENIA PROSECUTES A CASE OF HATE SPEECH

REF: "Report on Global Anti-Semitism," January 5

Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.


1. (SBU) On January 24 authorities arrested the leader
of the Armenian Aryan Union, Armen Avetisian, for
"inciting national hatred," and after a two-day trial
he received a suspended sentence on March 18.
Avetisian told a newspaper in January that "the future
of any nation that has a Jewish community is in danger,
and those (the Jews) who endanger the Armenian state
should be driven out." Avetisian made previous public
statements that Armenia should be "purged" of Jews and
Yezdis (ref). Avetisian had served a total of 35 days
in pre-trial detention as the judge in his case
considered his statements so actionable as to preclude
his release.


2. (SBU) The Armenian Aryan Union has approximately 50
members, and it made headlines several times in the
last six months with statements against Jews and
homosexuals. In previous discussions, neither the
Chief Rabbi of Armenia nor a prominent secular Jewish
leader knew of any incidents of violence or vandalism
committed by the group, although they both complained
to us that the group distributes hate literature.


3. (SBU) Armenia's Human Rights Ombudsman, Larissa
Alaverdian told us that she thought the trial was
unfortunate. She also elaborated on her belief that
Armenia should move away from the Soviet practice of
proscribing certain types of speech, and that without
an act of intolerance, the case should not have gone to
trial.
EVANS