HATE CRIMES COUNTRy by COUNTRy 4 ARMENIA The majority of the 8 hate-motivated crimes recorded by MSM Armenia targeted trans women and crossdresser sex workers either in cruising areas in Yerevan or the sex worker’s apartment. The incidents were committed by gangs and private individuals who posed as clients to target trans sex workers and were classified as assaults and sexual assaults. One case of police abuse and profiling was also documented: a trans sex worker in the centre of Yerevan near a sex work area was approached by two police officers who stated that sex work and being a trans person do not fit with traditional Armenian values. They threatened her saying that if they see her again at the same spot, they will use excessive physical force and remove her from that area. The incidents that were committed against non-sex worker trans people took place in public spaces (one of them next to a queer bar) and involved groups as offenders. Both incidents involved physical violence. 6 trans sex workers were physically attacked in a cruising area in Yerevan. The entrances to the sex worker venue were surrounded by men with cars and some of them entered the park to find trans people and beat them. Victims hid in the trees in the park, but the offenders started to throw stones towards them to find them. One of the trans persons shouted that she was calling the police and journalists. A police car at that moment - by coincidence - was driving on the nearest street. The gang thought that the victims had called them and left the park. After that, the attacked group of trans sex workers could leave too. They didn’t come back on that day again in order to escape a possible second attack by the same gang. 4 Cases from those countries are included where systematic monitoring was carried out by TGEU’s partner organisations in the framework of the ProTrans and Eastern European Partnership projects. See more: tgeu.org/pro-trans