Announcement on the Harassment against the Open Society Foundations–Armenia

05 June, 2019

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, express our support to the activity of the Open Society Foundation active in the Republic of Armenia since 1997.

We welcome the establishment of the necessary environment for the freedom of expression as a result of the Velvet Revolution in 2018.

Nevertheless, during the last days, a group a citizens have been constantly protesting near the office of the Open Society Foundations, the nature, the harassments against the police keeping the public order, the threatening against the employees of the Foundation, the demonstrations of hate speech and violence of which are unacceptable from the perspective of human rights protection.

The dissemination of the false and forged information and the evaluations on their ground are useless attempts to humiliate the human rights protection, the role and essence of the civil society organizations in the formation process of accountable and transparent governance and where the Open Society Foundations – Armenia has its own contribution.

Moreover, such protest movements lead to the limitations of the freedom of associations, which contradicts the principals of democracy and legal state. It is also worth mentioning, that its already a few days that the proper activities of the Foundation is not ensured.

We urge the law enforcement bodies to take measures to maintain the public order and to ensure the secure movements of its employees and visitors, as well as prevent the possible harassment against their lives, health and property.

1. “Protection of Rights without Borders” NGO
2. “Informed Citizens Union” NGO
3. “Regional Studies Center” NGO
4. “Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation” NGO
5. “Asparez” Journalists Club”” NGO
6. “Helsinki Group of Spitak” NGO
7. “Public Agenda” NGO
8. “Women Support Cenre” NGO
9.  “International Association of Lawyers and Psychologists” NGO
10.   “Public Journalists Club” NGO
11. “Yerevan Press Club” NGO
12.   “Armenian Innocence Project” NGO
13. “Transparency International” Anticorruption Center
14.   “KhoranArd” Intellectual Club
15. “Tatevik” NGO
16.    “Society without Violence” NGO
17. Civil-Youth Centre of Armavir
18. “Youth Avangarde” Public Interest Protection NGO
19.    “PINK” NGO
20.    “Human Rights House” Yerevan
21. “Armavir Development Center” NGO
22. “Martuni Women Council” NGO
23. “Human Rights Research Centre” NGO
24.   “Peace Dialogue” NGO
25. “Journalism for Human Rights” NGO
26.   “Fermida” NGO
27. “New Generation” NGO
28. “EcoNews” Informative NGO
29. “Tax Payers and Businessmen Rights Protection” NGO
30.   “Real World, Real People” NGO
31. “Goris Press Club” NGO
32. “Armenian Helsinki Committee” NGO
33. “Helsinki Citizens Assembly Vanadzor Office” NGO
34.  “Human Right Development and Protection Foundation”
35.   “Rule of Law” NGO
36.  “National Center of Public Policy Research” NGO
37. “Community Initiatives and Advocacy Center” NGO
38.   “Non-Discrimination and Equality Coalition”
39. “Media Diversity Institute” NGO
40.  “Urban” Foundations
41. “Investigative Journalists” NGO
42.   “Unison” NGO
43. “Armenian Progressive Youth” NGO
44. “Europe in Law Association” NGO
45. “Women Resource Centre” NGO
46.  “Agate Rights Defence Centre For Women With Disabilities” NGO
47.  “Shogher Union” Social-Educational NGO
48. “Society without Violence” NGO
49. “Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression” NGO
50.  “Restart” NGO
51.  “Women’s’ Rights House” NGO
52.  “Free Citizen Civic Initiative Support Centre” NGO
53. “Children’s Society” Youth Initiatives Support Centre
54.  “Lore Eco-Club” NGO
55. “Consumers’ Consulting Center” NGO
56. “European Students’ Forum Association” NGO
57. “For Equal Rights” NGO
58. “CPI” Armenian Human Rights Protection NGO
59. “Advanced Public Research Group” NGO
60.  “Golden Apricot Movie Development Foundation
61. “Angel” Social Cultural-Educational NGO
62. “Ecoteam” NGO
63.  Coalition to Stop Violence against Women
64.  “Legal Research and Development Centre” NGO
65. Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Development National Center
66. Communities Finance Officers Association
67. “Helsinki Association” human rights NGO
68. “Mandate” NGO
69. “Yezidi Center for Human Rights”