On 23 September – on the day of the elections of the Yerevan City Council, the Armenian Human Rights Defender's Office received 46 calls by the hotline as of 21։30.
The working group, formed by the Defender’s order, has examined more than 1000 publications which appeared on media and the social networks today.
16 calls, received to the hotline, were related to having less than 6 months of registration in Yerevan and, consequently, not having the opportunity to participate in the elections, and 12 calls were about the inaccessibility of polling places for persons with disabilities.
Call were received also with regard to the possibility of electing with an identification card, not receiving the information sheets, etc.
The Human Rights Defender’s Office provided legal consultation to citizens in all cases. One call was received with regard to keeping a person at the Police division for a period longer than prescribed by the law: a discussion procedure has been initiated thereof, as informed through our previous statements.
The publications on media and on the social networks related to the furnishings of polling places, the behavior of the members of the commission, and so on. There were recorded issues over guaranteeing the secrecy of voting, in particular, cases of photographing and dissemination of ballots. There were also publications recording the gatherings near the electoral precincts, “guiding” the voters in the ballot process and search conducted at the apartment based on the case concerning election bribe (unreasonable, according to the publication).
Particular attention was paid to information on possible obstacles to the work of journalists and observers.