On January 19, 2010 the editor-in-chief of "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily Nikol Pashinyan was sentenced to 7 years in prison, a downright illegal court ruling by the common jurisdiction court in Yerevan's Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts. The charge that Pashinyan organized riots was in no way proven in the course of the trial. Moreover, it is clear the court has singled out Pashinyan for excessive punishment. Of the seven other political prisoners, opposition representatives sentenced before Pashinyan on the same charges, six were given shorter terms and later released under the general amnesty.


Transparency International Anti-corruption Center joined a number of NGOs in their appeal to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in regard to recent changes in the composition of the Armenian delegation to the PACE imposed by the chairman of the Armenian Parliament. The NGOs voiced their protest against exclusion of an opposition MP from permanent membership in the Armenian delegation at the PACE where she has strongly criticized the Armenian authorities' human rights record.

Human Rights Watch: Armenia in 2009

Human Rights Watch's annual review of human rights practices around the globe, The World Report 2010 summarized major human rights issues in more than 90 nations and territories worldwide. The Report on Armenia reflected on lack of accountability for excessive use of force against protestors by security forces during March 2008 events; torture and ill treatment; intimidation of party proxies and domestic observers during municipal elections; attacks on opposition newspaper journalists; media freedom; freedom of assembly; human rights defenders, including false charges against environmental activist; key international actors.

Corruption level in Armenia is of high concern

According to annual Index of Economic Freedom, published by U.S. Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, overall score of Armenia's economic freedom is 69.2, ranking its economy 38th among 179 countries in 2010 Index, which decreased by 0.7 point compared with last year's ranking. Transparency International Anti-corruption Center noted that despite its comparatively high index, Armenia's data are concerning as regards one of its 10 components making the overall score - Freedom from Corruption index - ranked 111-116th with 29.0 score of the same index.