On November 4, the Human
Rights Defender of Armenia received the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) co-rapporteurs for Armenia.
Issues related to the
rights of border residents of Armenia, judicial reforms and the work of the
mass media were discussed during the meeting.
During the meeting, Mr.
Arman Tatoyan presented evidence on the violations of the rights of the border
residents of Armenia by the Azerbaijani armed forces.
The Defender noted that
the current border situation should be viewed from the perspective of human
rights; the Defender underlined that human rights and security complement and
do not contradict each other. The Defender also mentioned about the need to
establish a demilitarized security zone in all areas of contact with the
Azerbaijani armed forces in order to guarantee the right to a peaceful and
secure life, to property, free movement and other fundamental rights of the
Armenian population. The Human Rights Defender highlighted the importance of
the September 27, 2021 PACE Resolution which reflects the abovementioned
proposal of the Defender.
The Defender also
referred to the issues in the judicial system, and stressed the existence of
judges which damage the reputation of the judicial system with their
performance. The solution of the mentioned issues should be reached through
legal methods, and by encouraging independent and impartial judges.
The Defender also
referred to the inadmissible practice of delays in court proceedings. They
noted that there are major trials in which people find themselves in judicial
hassles for years, due to delays in court hearings without reasonable grounds.
For example, Mr. Arman
Tatoyan demonstrated with concrete evidence the fact the persons are sometimes
kept in psychiatric institutions as a result of the incomplete work of court
proceedings
The Human Rights Defender
of Armenia also mentioned about the importance of the unhindered work of mass media,
and noted that they had applied to the Constitutional Court with some
fundamental questions to ensure the unhindered activities of journalists.
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