OPPOSITION PARTY ACCUSES GOAM OF HUMAN RIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001072

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AM
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTY ACCUSES GOAM OF HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS

REF: YEREVAN 971

Classified By: DCM A. F. Godfrey for reasons 1.4 (b, d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Armenia's Heritage Party, an opposition party with a
popular, outspoken leader but no seats in parliament, was
evicted from its downtown offices in March 2006. Party
officials told us they believed the government was behind the
eviction, as well as other interference with their
operations, including surveillance and lack of access to the
media. They said that, after the eviction, someone had
hacked into the party's main computer and stolen the names
and addresses of party members all over the country, who had
been harassed and threatened ever since. They said
broadcasters had told them Heritage Party Chairman and former
Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian was on a blacklist of
politicians to whom the president's office had forbidden them
to grant air time (reftel). They told us Heritage had had a
very difficult time obtaining meeting space for its party
congress, which took place August 1 at the Writer's Union of
Armenia. A Ministry of Justice representative told us the
court had ordered the party's eviction. We have heard
stories similar to Heritage's from other opposition groups,
and we do not rule out accusations that the president's
office is behind the harassment of opposition parties. End
Summary.

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HERITAGE KICKED OUT OF OFFICE
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2. (C) On August 3, we met with Heritage Party board member
Gevorg Kalenchyan and Hovsep Khurshudyan, head of the party's
Constitutional Commission, at the NGO office where the party
has temporarily parked its headquarters. They told us the
trouble started after the flawed November 2005 referendum,
when Hovannisian publicly and harshly criticized President
Kocharian at a protest rally. The party members told us
that, after the rally, the director of the theater that owned
the building in which Heritage leased an office began to
complain about the party's sign that hung near the office
entrance. In late February, the party received a letter
saying the office no longer belonged to the theater, but that
it was now the property of the Department of State Property
Management. On March 4, party members arrived at the office
to find that new locks had been put on the doors. The
theater director said he had changed the locks. (Note: The
party's latest lease with the theater director was set to run
out June 2006, and the party also had an agreement, dated
2002, with the Department of State Property Management to
lease the office until 2007. End Note.)


3. (C) The party took the matter to the court of the first
instance, which decided the theater's actions were unlawful.
Ministry of Justice officials unlocked the office at 1 p.m.
on May 29, only to return six hours later and demand that the
staff leave the office, as they had orders to reseal the
door. When the party demanded an explanation, the officials
said they had come earlier in the day on a preliminary
decision from the court, but that now they were acting on the
court's final decision. In the six hours that Heritage
officials were in their office, their computer specialist
noticed that their central computer had been hacked into
March 8, four days after the locks had been changed.
Kalenchyan and Khurdashyan said that computer contained names
and contact information of party members all over the
country.


4. (C) Ministry of Justice Chief of Staff Nune Khachatryan
told us the Department of State Property Management does not
do anything without a court order, and the court had clearly
ordered the party kicked out of its office. She said she did
not have information about whether anyone broke into the
Heritage Party's computer.

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HERITAGE SAYS PARTY MEMBERS WERE HARASSED AFTER BREAK-IN
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5. (C) Khurdashyan told us that, since March 8, "dozens" of
party members who live outside Yerevan have been harassed or
threatened. He said a member complained during this week's
party congress that he had been threatened with losing his
job if he didn't leave the party. Heritage has lost some
members who have caved to the pressure, including a teacher
in Gavar who received the same threat.

YEREVAN 00001072 002 OF 002




6. (C) NGOs report that this type of harassment is common,
and is not limited to the Heritage Party. National
Democratic Institute (NDI) Co-Director Andrew Bennett told us
many opposition parties complain of harassment and threats.
There also have been press reports of pressure on teachers
and school officials to change parties. (Note: Schools are
the most popular venue for polling stations in Armenia, and
school directors can have a fair amount of influence over
election results if they choose to. End Note.)

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TAPS, TAILS AND TELEVISION
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7. (C) The party officials told us they were followed
regularly and overtly, to the point that street vendors have
warned them about the men tailing them. According to them
and NDI's Bennett, Hovannisian joked a few months ago about
sending a letter to the National Security Service expressing
concern about the quality of the surveillance, and asking
them to please put more experienced, and less obvious, agents
on his tail. Similarly, Khurshudyan said the wire taps on
their telephones were obvious.


8. (C) Kalenchyan also expressed frustration that the party
could not seem to get any television coverage. He said
Hovannisian had been invited to appear on a July 11 broadcast
of a political talk show on Yerkir Media (which is run by the
coalition party Armenian Revolutionary Federation --
Dashnaktsutiun),but then received a letter from the station
three days prior to taping, saying that the studio was going
to be under renovation and the show was canceled.
Khurshudyan said staff at several stations told him they had
been ordered by the president's office not to give air time
to three politicians, including Hovannisian. This has been
confirmed by broadcast media employees (more on this septel).



9. (C) The party officials told us the party had had a very
difficult time booking meeting space for their August 1
congress. They had asked to use a government hall that the
GOAM is required by regulation to loan to every political
party once a year. khurshudyan said that, although the party
asked for any available date for the remaining 2006 calendar
year, officials denied them, saying that no date was
available due to prior bookings and planned renovations.
(Note: The ruling Republican Party recently held its congress
in that hall. End Note.)


10. (C) Note: The Heritage Party is not represented in the
National Assembly. Though Hovannisian has attempted to
gather other opposition leaders under his wing, the most
interesting game on the opposition's playing field is a clash
of egos that has prevented them from organizing. In December
2005, following the flawed referendum, Hovannisian wrote a
public letter in which he asked President Kocharian 21
pointed questions, including whether or not he had ever
committed or ordered a murder, and whether his wealth had
accumulated since Armenia declared its independence. The
implication behind the murder question was an accusation that
Kocharian was personally involved in the October 1999
parliament shootings that claimed the lives of eight people,
including the prime minister and the National Assembly
speaker. Hovannisian was emboldened in his perceived mandate
after he learned that, according to the results of a May 2006
Gallup poll commissioned by the International Republican
Institute, he was the most popular Armenian politician, with
an approval rating of 74 percent. End Note.

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COMMENT
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11. (C) Party complaints of harassment in general seem to be
intensifying as the 2007 parliamentary elections approach.
We have heard stories similar to Heritage's from other
opposition groups, and they are consistent with media
allegations of interference by the president's office
(septel),all of which we find credible. We do not rule out
that the president's office is also behind the harassment of
opposition parties.
EVANS