Yerevan /Mediamax/. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills stated that "we have recently heard intimations of increased pressure on media and civil society.”

“For free and fair elections to take place, the government must also create a climate in which media and civil society are free, independent, and unfettered. We have recently heard intimations of increased pressure on media and civil society that seems designed to constrain their freedom of expression and redirect critical editorial views in advance of the parliamentary elections this spring. If true, this would be very worrying and would further erode Armenia’s standing in reports issued by international organizations on press freedoms worldwide. We do take the government at its word that it intends to conduct free and fair elections, just as we take the opposition parties and civil society at their word that they intend to play a constructive role in the process, and this is something we’ll be watching closely over the next few months,” Richard Mills said, while delivering a speech at the American Chamber of Commerce of Armenia on February 1.

The Ambassador also touched on the Erebuni hostage stand-off of July 2016. 

“Serious crimes occurred the evening of July 29-30 and it is important that those responsible be held to account. Although some police officers have been punished for their actions on that day, more could and should have been done in this regard,” the American official said.

According to him, there is another area of concern which the fallout of Erebuni highlighted.

“That has been the Government’s use of pre-trial detention,” he mentioned.

“It should be a last resort. It should never be used as a punitive tool to keep citizens from exercising their rights of free speech and assembly, and when pre-trial detention is ordered by the court, the reasons for doing so need to be fully transparent and grounded in a strong legal basis,” the U.S. Ambassador said.