End-line Assessment on Human Rights and Access to Justice in Armenia October 2019 Disclaimer This assessment is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development. The contents of this assessment are the sole responsibility of the Human Rights Support Mechanism Progress Consortium and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... iv Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ v Exposure to and Perceptions of Human Rights ....................................................................................................v Pathways to Justice ......................................................................................................................................................... vi The Human Rights Defender’s Office and the Judiciary .................................................................................. vi 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................................8 2. Methodological Note ..................................................................................................................................8 3. Findings ..........................................................................................................................................................9 3.1 Human Rights Knowledge ................................................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Perceptions of Human Rights ............................................................................................................................ 13 3.3 Perceptions and Trust of Human Rights Organizations ......................................................................... 17 3.4 Pathways to Justice ................................................................................................................................................ 24 3.4.1 Key Human Rights Problems ............................................................................................................................. 24 3.4.2 Advice and Representation ................................................................................................................................. 28 3.4.3 Access to Dispute Resolution Mechanisms .................................................................................................. 29 3.4.4 Fair Procedure and Enforceable Remedy .................................................................................................... 37 3.5 Barriers and Challenges Facing Vulnerable Populations ....................................................................... 41 3.5.1 Persons with Disabilities ..................................................................................................................................... 41 3.5.2 Victims of Domestic Violence: Protection and Access to Justice........................................................ 43 3.5.3 Military Conscripts’ Rights ................................................................................................................................. 44 3.6 The HRDO ................................................................................................................................................................... 47 3.7 Judiciary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 48 3.8 Political and Economic Foundations of Realization of the HRDO Core Mandate ......................... 49 3.8.1 Foundational Factors: Post-Revolutionary Prospects ........................................................................... 49 3.8.2 Rules of the Game: Operations and Developments .................................................................................. 51 3.8.3 The Here and Now: Revolution and Post-Revolution ............................................................................. 53 3.8.4 Dynamics: Promotion of Human Rights and Access to Justice........................................................... 56 4. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................ 59 5. Recommendations ................................................................................................................................... 60 6. Baseline Assessment in Relation to Cross-Cutting Outcomes and Results ......................... 62 Annexes ............................................................................................................................................................ 63 Annex 1: Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................. 63 ii | P a g e Acknowledgements This report is the product of a partnership between the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, the Caucasus Resource Research Center-Armenia, and Pact. The Caucasus Resource Research Center-Armenia undertook the majority of the research in this report, using a research plan based on the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s Access to Justice Assessment Tool and Pact’s Applied Political Economy Analysis framework. The Caucasus Resource Research Center- Armenia also analyzed the data collected and provided a draft of that research to the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, which, together with Pact, provided additional conceptual guidance and editorial work. The final report was reviewed by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Human Rights Defender’s Office in Armenia, and after a final edit, it was produced in English. While the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative is immensely grateful to Caucasus Resource Research Center-Armenia for their assistance in drafting the report, its contents are exclusively the responsibility of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative. The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative is grateful to the team of highly knowledgeable and dedicated colleagues in Armenia and Washington, D.C., including Ms. Hasmik Hakobyan (Country Director for Armenia), Ms. Anna Melkonyan, Ms. April Hewko (Program Manager), and Mr. Mason Ingram (Global Director of Governance at Pact). The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative would like to thank the Caucasus Resource Research Center-Armenia, particularly Ms. Sona Balasanyan (Research Director), Ms. Ella Karagulyan (Program Manager for Data Initiative), Ms. Arpi Grigoryan (Research Associate), Ms. Mariam Arakelyan (Research Associate) Mr. Armen Grigoryan (Political Economy Analyst, expert), Mr. Mark Dovich (Research Fellow), as well as qualitative researchers Ms. Seda Ananyan and Ms. Syuzanna Siradeghyan. The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative also sincerely thanks the many Armenian civil society organizations and the Human Rights Defender’s Office for providing insights on the assessment and, more generally, for their commitment to strengthening the protection and promotion of human rights in Armenia. iii | P a g e List of Abbreviations ABA ROLI American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative AJAT Access to Justice Assessment Tool APEA Applied Political Economy Analysis CEPA Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement ECA Europe and Central Asia EU European Union GIZ German Organization for Technical Cooperation HRC Human Rights Council HRDO Human Rights Defender’s Office HRO Human Rights Organization HRSM Human Rights Support Mechanism MICE Media for Informed Civic Engagement NGO Non-governmental Organization OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe PSA Public Service Announcement UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Program UPR Universal Periodic Review USAID United States Agency for International Development iv | P a g e Executive Summary While recent political and economic developments in Armenia appear to be creating an opening for reform in access to justice and human rights protection in the country, the situation remains highly dynamic, and there is a range of political, economic, social, and cultural factors that will continue to challenge both Armenians seeking remedy for human rights abuses and the Armenian government in delivering on its duties and responsibilities in the field of human rights. This report, which is the product of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, the Caucasus Resource Research Center-Armenia, and Pact, considers the current status of many aspects of access to justice and human rights in post-revolutionary Armenia and provides insights into specific areas where efforts for improvement can be directed. To do so, the report combines quantitative and qualitative methods, including a nationally-representative perceptions survey, as well as semi-