Armenia Introduces Changes to How Disabled Benefits Are Assessed
Region: ArmeniaRadical change will encourage disabled people to work if they can, but some experts fear new system could prove as unfair as its predecessor. By Gayane Mirzoyan - Caucasus CRS Issue 674, Armenia is about to introduce major changes to the way disabled benefits are assessed... more
Views: 507Armenia’s Prison System Rocked by Protests
Region: ArmeniaHuman rights defenders say convicts driven to desperation by poor conditions and unheeding officials. By Karine Ionesyan Armenia’s prison system has been rocked by an outbreak of protests, as inmates engage in extreme acts such as self-mutilation in an attempt to draw attention to poor conditions. Some prisoners have sewn up their mouths, and one man cut off a finger, in what human ... more
Views: 868Armenia’s Government Delays in Passing Conscientious Objection Law
Region: ArmeniaDespite international court ruling, Jehovah’s Witnesses who refuse to perform alternative service under military command risk prosecution. By Gayane Mkrtchyan Armenia’s government appears to be dragging its feet over changing the rules for military conscription, a year after a pan-European court ruled that Jehovah’s Witnesses had been mistreated as conscientious objector... more
Views: 546Social Housing Scheme in Armenia
Region: ArmeniaNew impetus to provide free accommodation to young adults coming out of children’s homes. By Gayane Mkrtchyan The Armenian government has pledged to catch up on a commitment to provide accommodation for over-18s who were brought up in children’s homes. By law, the state has a duty of care to children’s home residents after they leave as young adults, including... more
Views: 945Armenian Village Loses Its Population
Region: ArmeniaAs villagers vote with their feet, life becomes increasingly unsustainable for those left behind. By Lilit Arakelyan “We don’t want to leave, but we’re going to have to whether we like it or not,” Tsaghik Tsaturyan said. Tsaturyan, 57, lives in the village of Dzyunashogh, close to Armenia’s northern border with Georgia,... more
Views: 1657Armenian Villages Prone to Landslides
Region: Armenia
For landslip-threatened communities, resettlement seems the only viable option. By Christine Aghalaryan Voghjaberd is a village without much of a future. Sitting on an area subject to frequent land slippage, and at risk from rocks tumbling down from higher ground, the houses here seem destined to collapse sooner or later. It is just a matter of time. Home to ju... more
Views: 1076Women Struggle to Find Employment in Armenian City
Region: Armenia
Low pay and male prejudice deter Gyumri's poorest women from earning much-needed incomes. By Nelly Shishmanyan, Roza Hovhannisyan, Lusine Avagyan Single mothers in Armenia often find it hard to escape poverty because they are paid very little, if they can get a job at all. But those living in Gyumri, the country’s second-largest city, have a particularly hard time. Th... more
Views: 1275Azeri Film Fest Causes Storm in Armenia
Region: ArmeniaAttempt to build cultural bridges sparks anger, though it’s unclear whether protests were genuine or stage-managed By Sara Khojoyan A controversial festival of Azerbaijani films has finally taken place in Armenia, but not before the venue had to be switched following angry protests. The Caucasus Centre of Peacemaking Initiatives, CCPI, an Armenian organisatio... more
Views: 1124Armenia: Young Author Faces Military Censorship
Region: ArmeniaWritten by Onnik Krikorian Hovhannes Ishkhanyan, a 24-year-old computer programmer and, like many others, a former conscript in the Armenian military has found himself in hot water in the former Soviet republic after penning a literary work detailing life in the country's army. Despite a print run of just 300, the Armenian military prosecutor says the book defames the army, is insulting to religion a... more
Views: 1149Despite Odds, Confident Mood in Karabakh
Region: ArmeniaArmenian residents still as determined as ever to win international acceptance. By Richard Giragosian After 20 difficult years living in Azerbaijan’s shadow, Armenians in Nagorny Karabakh appear increasingly confident about the future. Although the conflict remains unresolved and Karabakh has not won international recognition as a separate state, people there remain steadfast about holding onto ... more
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