On
January 21, a workshop was held at the initiative of the Human Rights Defender
of Armenia, Anahit Manasyan, focusing on the issues identified and
recommendations presented within the framework of the 2023 Annual Report of the
Defender.
Opening
remarks were delivered by the Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan, the
Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, Maxim Longangue, Minister of
Justice of RA, Srbuhi Galyan, and Pavlo Pushkar, Head of the Division of
Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (via online
participation).
The
workshop was attended by the President of the Court of Cassation of Armenia,
Lilit Tadevosyan, Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Arsen
Ayvazyan, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia, Françoise Jacob, as well as
representatives of state bodies, embassies, and international organizations.
In
her remarks, the Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan emphasized the
importance of holding meetings in this format and ensuring effective
collaboration with state bodies to establish a proper system for the protection
of human rights.
“I am
pleased to note that the working environment with state bodies is constructive.
Instances of dismissive attitudes toward human rights issues by any body are
rare. In this regard, the efficient and professional implementation of our
recommendations, as well as the adoption of conceptual and institutional
approaches, is essential for the rapid resolution of issues,” the Defender
stated.
During
the workshop, Ms. Anahit Manasyan addressed several systemic issues recorded in
the Annual Report, particularly regarding the protection of human rights in
“closed institutions,” the prevention of torture and ill-treatment, issues with
medical assistance and services in “closed institutions,” the state of human
rights protection in the armed forces, problems encountered during
conscription, the elimination of non-statutory relationships in the armed
forces, monitoring visits to care and other institutions, equality and
anti-discrimination, the practice of applying detention as a preventive
measure, issues related to the right to freedom of assembly, and more.
“I
must emphasize that by raising existing issues, our aim is not to target any
specific state body or official but to solve the problems together for the
benefit of human rights protection and system improvement,” the Defender
underlined.
Concluding
the event, Ms. Anahit Manasyan expressed her gratitude to international
partners, embassy representatives, and state body officials for their
willingness to address human rights-related issues and support their
resolution.
The
workshop was organized within the framework of the Council of Europe program
“Strengthening Human Rights Protection for Displaced Persons in Armenia.”
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