excessive force to disperse a peaceful crowd and arrested scores of peaceful demonstrators. Across the country, the authorities also summoned for questioning and arrested a number of political activists, accusing them of organizing the protests. The Constitutional amendments introduced following the September referendum granted the government even more power to restrict the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The amendments limited property rights and allowed the restriction of freedom of assembly if it breached “public morals”. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT Armenian Ministry of Defence reported 93 persons killed on its side, including four civilians. The two parties accused each other of under-reporting military casualties and over-reporting civilian casualties. Both sides reportedly targeted civilian properties, including schools. BAHAMAS Commonwealth of the Bahamas Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Marguerite Pindling Head of government: Perry Gladstone Christie Law enforcement officials continued to commit torture and other ill-treatment with impunity. Human rights defenders reported torture and other ill-treatment of members of the Muslim Unity movement who had been arrested during clashes with government security forces in the village of Nardaran in 2015. Muslim Unity activists were accused of trying to forcibly change the constitutional system and to create an organized armed group. The youth activists Bayram Mammadov and Giyas Ibrahimov reported that they were tortured and otherwise ill-treated in detention. Injuries consistent with their allegations were confirmed by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention after visiting the activists in detention. Their findings were ignored by judges during remand and case hearings. Another youth activist, Elgiz Gahraman, told his lawyer he had been subject to torture following his arrest on 12 August. He was held incommunicado for 48 hours and forced to “confess” to charges of drug possession. At the end of the year he remained in detention with his trial pending. Widespread ill-treatment and other abuses against irregular migrants from countries including Haiti and Cuba continued. Bahamians voted “no” in a constitutional referendum on gender equality in citizenship matters in June. Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people continued. ARMED CONFLICT Stigma and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people continued. In April, activists founded the group Bahamas Transgender Intersex United. After its first press conference, members of the Four days of armed clashes between government forces and the forces of the selfdeclared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh took place in April. Azerbaijan reported the deaths of six civilians and 31 military personnel; the 76 LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL OR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS On 7 June, Bahamians voted “no” in a referendum on gender equality in citizenship matters under Bahamian law. The proposed amendments – backed by the government – would have strengthened anti-discrimination protections based on sex. The result maintained inequality in Bahamian laws so that women and men pass on citizenship to their children and spouses in different ways. The result put at risk the citizenship rights of families, in particular the risk of separation of families with diverse nationalities or children born outside of the Bahamas to Bahamian parents. RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE Amnesty International Report 2016/17