On
May 27, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan,
met with Mr. Jacob McGee, the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State.
The
meeting was also attended by Mr. Michael Dozler, Director of the European and
Eurasian Affairs Division of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of
International Religious Freedom, Mr. David Allen, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission
to Armenia, Mr. Jeffrey Warner, U.S. Embassy Political Officer, and Ms. Irina
Mkrtchyan, Political Affairs Specialist.
Welcoming
the guests, Ms. Anahit Manasyan presented the main directions and current
priorities of the Human Rights Defender’s Office, especially emphasizing the
importance of the work carried out in the fight against hate speech,
discrimination, and intolerance, as well as in a number of other areas.
During
the meeting, the parties discussed a number of issues related to the protection
of the rights of persons with disabilities, religious and ethnic minorities, as
well as persons forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, held in penitentiary
and psychiatric institutions, and the use of disproportionate force by the
police.
The
Defender also referred the need for police reforms, noting that it should be
considered in the context of the development of the institutional system for
the human rights protection.
The
challenges within the framework of ensuring equality and anti-discrimination
policy were also discussed. The Defender expressed concern about the increasing
manifestations of hate speech, discrimination and intolerance, emphasizing the
need to prevent them and effectively combat the phenomenon.
At
the end of the meeting, Mr. Jacob McGee expressed gratitude for the warm
welcome and highlighted the role of the Human Rights Defender’s Office in
implementing its mission of protecting human rights.
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