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Press release

International observers condemn violence overshadowing Armenian parliamentary elections

Date:
Place:
YEREVAN
Source:
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Fields of work:
Media freedom and development, Human rights, Elections, Democratization
YEREVAN, 26 May 2003 - The international election observation mission for the Armenian parliamentary elections strongly condemns the shooting last night at a polling station in Shahumian, south of Yerevan, that reportedly resulted in the death of one person and the injuring of two others.

The Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE and the Council of Europe, and the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which deployed some 200 observers to monitor yesterday's election, urged the authorities to start an investigation of the incident immediately and bring the perpetrators to justice without delay.

A team of international observers was present at the polling station to monitor the vote count when the shooting took place last night in a village in Armenia's southern Ararat region.

The shooting seriously overshadowed an otherwise calm election day.

The international election observation mission will present its findings on the electoral process at a press conference at the Hotel Armenia in Yerevan today at 15:00 local time.

Contacts

Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Public Affairs Unit

Lauren Baranowska, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Deputy Spokesperson

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Public Affairs Unit

Ul. Miodowa 10
00-251 Warsaw
Poland