Yesterday, on April 16, 2012 Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office was subjected to attack. The attack happened due to providing its office venue for holding Azerbaijani film festival.

Nearly 200 people surrounded the organization's office with posters demanding that the office staff do not provide their venue for screening Azerbaijani films. Some of the attackers broke into the office, threatened and swore at the staff and damaged the organization's property. The crowd assembled outside threw eggs and stones at the office, and broke the window panes, causing bodily harm to an employee.

The organization employees reported the incident to the police over telephone straight away. In the meantime some police officers were in situ during the attack. Nevertheless they failed to take any action to protect sanctity of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office, to ensure the employees' security and to protect the property.

A few days ago a similar incident occurred in Gyumri, when a group of citizens obstructed "Asparez" Journalists' Club through violence and threats for the NGO not to provide its venue to hold the same event. It was obvious that both non peaceful protests were organized and guided, given territorial administration representatives' persuasion to refrain from holding the festival in Gyumri and messages of thanks to the police officers in Vanadzor for having the protest action staged in an organized manner. It allows to conclude that the demonstrations were at least supported by the authorities.

We, the undersigned organizations, condemn infringing NGO activity. We require that the state meet its obligations and ensure freedom to associations, rights to freedom of opinion and expression. The state is obliged to protect regular functioning and security of people and organizations in any case despite the motive of non legal actions.

As advocates of freedom of speech and expression, attaching importance to the protection of human rights advocate organizations and individuals, the signatory organizations demand that

1. the organizers of predetermined violent actions against Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office and "Asparez" Journalists' Club be exposed and those who infringed public order be held liable, so that their actions receive relevant legal assessment.

2. the law enforcement officers be detected for inaction and their action be legally assessed to incur liability.

3. the security of NGOs and individuals actively engaged in human rights advocacy be ensured against the perils based on their human rights advocacy activity as well as fake pretexts to settle a score with them.

Signatories

"Transparency International Anti-corruption Center" NGO
"Helsinki Committee of Armenia" NGO
"Yerevan Press Club" NGO
"Lawyers for Human Rights" NGO
"Protection of Rights without Borders" NGO
"Center for Strategic Litigations" Human Rights NGO
"Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Armenian Committee" NGO
"Open Society Foundations-Armenia" NGO
"Helsinki Association" Human rights NGO
"Youth for Democracy" NGO
"Internews" Media Support NGO
"Committee to Protect Journalists" NGO
"Huys" NGO
"Journalists for Human Rights" NGO
"Rule of Law" Human Rights NGO
"Civic Forum" NGO