Armenian authorities should look into alleged violence against election observers and journalists during the February 19, 2008 presidential elections, Human Rights Watch said on February 22. The group documented victim testimony of assaults and threats on opposition party activists, domestic observers and journalists attempting to cover what they believed to be widespread election fraud at polling stations.  Human Rights Watch called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which found the elections to be “mostly in line” with international commitments, to look into these incidents and include them in its final election report. 

On February 20, the Central Election Commission of Armenia convened a meeting five days ahead of the scheduled release of official election results and declared Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian, who was supported by Armenia’s current president Robert Kocharian, the winner with 52.8 percent of the vote.  The main opposition candidate, Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrossian, won 21.5 percent, according to official results.  As reported by A1Plus information agency, hundreds of thousands of Ter-Petrossian supporters took to the streets in downtown Yerevan on February 20, calling for new elections and protesting the outcome of the elections and what they believe to be widespread election fraud.  The opposition leader is set to challenge the election outcome at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia, reported the information source on February 24. Several opposition leaders have been arrested without official charges and are currently being held by the National Security Services with no access to legal counsel, A1Plus also reported. 

This information was originally published on February 22, 2008 and February 24, 2008. (www.hrw.org, www.a1plus.am)