The US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor has just issued Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012.
In the section on freedom of speech and press, under Respect for Civil Liberties, the report refers to the nearly one-year long investigation opened against Vartan Oskanian and involving the Civilitas Foundation. “On May 25, the National Security Service opened an investigation of the former head of the Civilitas Foundation and former foreign minister Vardan Oskanian on suspicion of money laundering, a day after Oskanian’s party, Prosperous Armenia, announced its decision not to join the ruling coalition. The Civilitas Foundation operated one of the largest independent online media outlets, CivilNet, which ran several stories criticizing the administration of the May 6 elections. CivilNet reported that National Security Service agents harassed and followed its reporters and entered its office without appropriate authorization. Many observers described the investigation and its timing after the elections as politically motivated.”