Today,
on July 18, the Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan hosted Ms. Martina
Schmidt - the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.
Welcoming
the guests, Ms. Manasyan presented the priorities of the Defender's Office. In
this context, the Defender emphasized the importance of the activities carried
out within the framework of combating hate speech, the atmosphere of
intolerance, and discrimination. The Defender noted that these phenomena, which
are widespread in the world and Armenia, are unacceptable. The use of hate
speech in the academic community, by politicians and public figures, as well as
in the media, is of particular concern. Ms. Manasyan specially emphasized that
any manifestation of hate speech should be excluded from public discourse.
During
the meeting, the Defender referred to the activities carried out in the
direction of protecting the rights of missing, killed, and captured servicemen
and civilians, as well as their family members. Ms. Anahit Manasyan informed
that she regularly meets with the parents and relatives of the latter and
presents the raised issues during meetings and communications with
international partners.
Specific
programs implemented by the Council of Europe Office related to the prevention
of domestic violence, the protection of human rights in the Armed Forces, and a
number of other issues were discussed. In this context, reference was made to
the international workshop dedicated to the protection of human rights in the
armed forces organized by the Council of Europe's Steering Committee for Human
Rights (CDDH) on June 28, 2023 in Strasbourg. The interlocutors highly valued
the participation of the representative of the Human Rights Defender, and
emphasized the results of the Council of Europe programs.
In
her turn, Ms. Martina Schmidt underlined the importance of the long-term and
effective cooperation between the Human Rights Defender’s Office, and the
Council of Europe in the field of human rights protection, expressing her
willingness to continue the effective work.
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