On
February 27, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit
Manasyan, participated and delivered a keynote speech at the launch event of
the second phase of the program “Supporting International Human Rights Law and
Standards in Armenia”, organized at the initiative of the Raoul Wallenberg
Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.
In
her speech titled “Human Rights Priorities in Armenia Today,” the Human Rights
Defender referred current human rights challenges and priorities in Armenia.
The
Human Rights Defender expressed her gratitude to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute
of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for the sustainable and effective
cooperation and jointly implemented programs.
In
her speech, Ms. Anahit Manasyan referred to existing challenges in the field of
human rights in Armenia, emphasizing that human rights-related challenges are
numerous worldwide and although the directions are generally similar, they have
their own peculiarities in different states and societies.
“Despite
the challenges, we must continue our joint efforts aimed at improving the
field,” Ms. Anahit Manasyan stated.
Referring
to the problems being recorded, the Defender first of all drew attention to the
problem of politicization and polarization, and consequently, the
instrumentalization of human rights in almost all processes, which, according
to the Defender, causes significant damage to the human rights protection
system.
“This
is the greatest challenge, and we must unite our efforts to overcome it,” Ms.
Anahit Manasyan noted.
The
Defender also singled out equality and non-discrimination as priority areas,
particularly referring to issues related to freedom of religion:
“In this regard, it is important to exclude
discrimination based on beliefs and respect for the autonomy of all religious
organizations. I consistently raise this issue and particularly emphasize that
discussions concerning religious organizations and religious freedoms must
remain within the standards of equality and non-discrimination,” Ms. Anahit
Manasyan stated, presenting the problem with specific examples based on the Defender’s
monitoring results.
Ms.
Anahit Manasyan also referred problems concerning the rights of persons with
disabilities, noting that despite the activities carried out, many problematic
issues remain in the field. In this context, Ms. Anahit Manasyan mentioned
that, based on an application submitted by the Human Rights Defender to the
Constitutional Court of Armenia last year, legal regulations establishing an
absolute ban on appointing individuals with permanent complete deafness or
deaf-mutism in both ears, or binocular blindness, to the position of judge.
were declared unconstitutional.
The
Defender further referred to the protection of the rights of national
minorities, including manifestations of discriminatory and hate speech.
“Protection
of the rights of national minorities does not imply merely a responsive
approach, but rather much broader efforts to promote rights. I consider it
necessary to note that in recent years interest in this field has significantly
increased. In this context, I attach importance to eliminating the targeting of
individuals based on national and ethnic identity from our public discourse.
These are not only my observations, but also those of the European Commission
against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe and it is clear that
consistent work must be carried out in this direction,” the Defender
emphasized.
Ms.
Anahit Manasyan also referred problems related to gender equality, various
issues related to guarantees of rights within the framework of criminal proceedings
and the frequent application of detention in Armenia, which, according to the
Human Rights Defender, remains one of the systemic issues.
As an
important problem, Ms. Anahit Manasyan also spoke about issues related to labor
rights, particularly emphasizing the right to strike.
“I have personally undertaken a commitment to
discuss with various civil society partners and to implement the tools within
my mandate to address systemic issues in this field,” Ms. Anahit Manasyan
stated.
The
Defender also referred to existing challenges in the protection of the rights
of persons deprived of liberty, noting that there are positive developments in
the field from year by year, however, there are still many problems, and they
need to be addressed on a daily basis.
The
Defender also spoke about problems related to the protection of the rights of
persons in psychiatric institutions, various issues related to the rights of
children.
Ms.
Anahit Manasyan noted that the Human Rights Defender’s Office also focuses on
issues concerning displaced persons, the protection of the rights of missing
persons and their relatives and issues related to captives, which are addressed
on a daily basis.
Concluding
her speech, the Human Rights Defender stated:
“I
attach importance to comprehensive reforms in human rights education in
Armenia. Reforms in this field must be more conceptual, and our joint efforts
are crucial in overcoming these problems,” Ms. Anahit Manasyan said, expressing
gratitude to the Embassy of Sweden, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human
Rights and Humanitarian Law, international organizations, state bodies
committed to the protection of human rights, civil society partners and all
educational institutions with whom the Human Rights Defender’s Office
implements various programs.
Opening
remarks were also delivered by H.E. Ms. Eva Sundquist, Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Armenia.
The
program "Support to International Human Rights Law and Standards. 2022-2027”
was presented by Ms. Laura Milne, Director of the Armenian Office of the Raoul
Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, who presented the
initiatives implemented within the framework of the program and upcoming activities.
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