30 June 2010, 21:00
Human rights activist Danielian states that Armenia has turned into a military police state
The assessments given to Armenia by the international organization Freedom House in its annual report fully coincide with the opposition assessments. This has been noted to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Levon Zurabian, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress, who states that "cleptocratic dictatorship rules Armenia".
Michael Danielian, chairman of Helsinki Association, a well-known human rights activist, while commenting in an interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on the assessments in the Freedom House report, states that he fully agrees with them. "Today, Armenia is an authoritarian and a military police state. A single person decides everything here", he adds.
Vaan Ovannisian, head of "АRFD" faction of the National Assembly, while commenting on the question of journalists whether he agrees with the Freedom House assessments, noted: "The targets and intentions of Freedom House with regard to Armenia are radically opposite to the targets and intentions of ARFD in Armenia. Therefore, I am not going to compare their assessments, agree or disagree with them, argue against or welcome them: for me, the assessment of such organization is groundless", stated Ovanisian.
As was reported previously, the international human rights organization Freedom House has included Armenia into the list of semi-authoritarian countries in its annual report "Countries in the period of transition - 2010".
Author: Lilit Ovanisyan Source: CK correspondent
