On July 21, 2023, the Independent Observer Alliance published an investigation carried out in coordination with the Fact Investigation Platform, which contained recordings indicating that a number of officials of the Spitak community were preparing lists of voters for the ruling Civil Contract Party running in the local elections in Yerevan.

In response, the Civil Contract Party filed a lawsuit against the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, a member of the Independent Observer Alliance and a member of the Armenian National Platform of the EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, demanding to refute the publication and pay the party one million AMD in moral damages. Moreover, as a measure of securing claim, the ruling party asked the court to freeze 1 million AMD on the bank account of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO.

The Armenian National Platform of the EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum considers that by requesting a measure of securing the claim, which was eventually granted, the Civil Contract Party and the court are taking punitive action against the non-governmental organization for their unwelcome criticism of the authorities.

Moreover, we consider that such steps shrink the space for civil society in Armenia. Even in 2017, when lawsuits were filed against the Union of Informed Citizens in response to the article about the misuse of administrative resources by the Republican Party of Armenia in 114 schools of Armenia, no measure of securing the claim was applied against the NGO and no obstacles were created for its activities.

In view of the above, the Armenian National Platform of the EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum joins the statement of a number of media-related NGOs of 6 September 2023, sharing the concerns of the Independent Observer Alliance about the misuse of administrative resources by the Civil Contract Party in the local elections in Yerevan, as well as emphasizing the inadmissibility of deviating from the values of democracy and shrinking the space for civil society. Thus, the Armenian National Platform of the EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum urges:

1. the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan to grant the motion of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO to revoke its decision on applying the measure of securing the claim (and the lien on the property in the amount of 1 million AMD);

2. the Civil Contract Party to withdraw its claim to apply the measure of securing the claim, as well as to refrain from attempts to take punitive action against NGOs criticizing the authorities and refrain from resorting to controversial methods during elections in the future;

3. the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan and the Civil Contract Party to agree to the offer of other member organizations of the Independent Observer Alliance (Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office and Direct Democracy NGO) to be involved as respondents in the case.

Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum