DOCSLIB.ORG

Annual Report on the Activities of the Human Rights Defender in 2008

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Annual Report on the Activities of the Human Rights Defender in 2008 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA 8 0 0 2 T R O P E R L A U 22000088 N N A H U M A N R I G H T S D E F E N D E R O F T H E R E P U B L I C O F A R M E N I A The present Annual Report for 2008 of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia has been translated and published with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations (UN), United National Development Programme (UNDP), Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) or Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) ANNUAL REPORT 2008 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA’S HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AND VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN THE COUNTRY 2008 YEREVAN 2009 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Quotes from Sufi Writings One day the students of Abu-Vistam came to him and complained about Satan. “Satan is stealing our faith,” they said. The Sheikh summoned Satan to inquire about this. Satan said: “I do not have the power to force people to do things they don’t want. I am too pious and fearful of God to dare to do that. Men and women renounce their faith over trivial matters; I am gathering pieces of faith that they are throwing away.” Sheikh Mouzamed “While doing everything you can to win someone else’s favor, don’t miss the chance to re-discover yourself.” Mirza Halib 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Watch out! They remain in power... 1. Citizen A.S. is brought handcuffed to a pre-trial identity parade (see Illustrative Case 2, page 113). 2. K.T., the RA Special Investigation Service’s investigator for serious crime, confiscates a (cattle farm) property registered to E.Sh., stating that the true owner of that property was M.M., who was accused of criminal activity (see page 115). 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2008 CONTENTS CONTENTS..............................................................................................................4 AN ALTERNATIVE INTRODUCTION.....................................................................6 PART 1 MAIN AREAS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER’S ACTIVITIES..................10 1.1.Dealing with Complaints and Complainants...............................................................10 1.1.1.Analysis of Complaint Statistics .............................................................................10 1.1.2.Advice......................................................................................................................15 1.1.3.Hosting Public Meetings .........................................................................................19 1.1.4.Visits and Quick Response Measure........................................................................19 1.2.Cases with Positive Outcomes....................................................................................23 1.3.Review of Draft Legal Acts ........................................................................................26 1.4.Communications and Public Outreach Activities .......................................................30 1.5.Cooperation with Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).....................................34 1.6.International Cooperation ...........................................................................................35 1.7.Expert Council ............................................................................................................39 PART 2 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ARISING FROM LEGISLATIVE ISSUES ...........41 2.1.Civil and Political Rights............................................................................................41 2.1.1.Prohibition of Torture ..............................................................................................41 2.1.2.Right to Fair Trial ....................................................................................................42 2.1.3.Right to Personal Freedom and Protection...............................................................44 2.1.4.Right to the Freedom of Information .......................................................................45 2.1.5.Right to Vote and to be Voted For...........................................................................74 2.1.6.Right to the Freedom of Peaceful and Unarmed Assembly.....................................59 2.2.Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ........................................................................62 2.2.1.Right to work ...........................................................................................................62 2.2.2.Right to Social Security ...........................................................................................62 2.2.3.Right to Property......................................................................................................64 2.2.4.Right to Live in a Healthy Environment..................................................................68 PART 3 ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY PUBLIC BODIES .................72 3.1.RA Police................................................................................................................... 73 3.2.RA Prosecutor’s Office...............................................................................................80 3.3.Special Investigation Service......................................................................................82 3.4.Courts..........................................................................................................................85 3.4.1.Monitoring of Court Hearings and Court Activities ................................................85 3.5.The Real Estate Cadastre State Committee under the RA Government .....................91 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2008 3.6.Bodies of the RA Ministry of Justice..........................................................................93 3.6.1.Service for the Compulsory Execution of Court Decisions .....................................93 3.6.2.Penitentiary Facilities.............................................................................................100 3.7.RA Government National Security Service ..............................................................104 3.8.RA Ministry of Defense............................................................................................105 3.9.RA Ministry of Territorial Administration (Infrastructures).....................................105 3.9.1.Migration Agency ..................................................................................................107 3.9.2.State Water Committee..........................................................................................107 3.10.RA Ministry of Education and Science...................................................................108 3.11.RA Ministry of Health ............................................................................................110 3.12.RA Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs .............................................................112 3.12.1.RA State Service for Social Security ...................................................................112 3.12.2.Social–Medical Examination Commission..........................................................116 3.12.3.State Labor Inspectorate.......................................................................................117 3.13.Yerevan Mayor's Office..........................................................................................118 3.14.Regional Administration and Local Government Administration Bodies ..............124 3.14.1.Regional Governor’s Offices (Marzpetarans)......................................................125 3.14.2.Yerevan Municipal District Offices.....................................................................126 3.14.3.Municipal Town Halls .........................................................................................128 3.14.4.Village Halls ........................................................................................................130 PART 4 RIGHTS OF SPECIAL AND VULNERABLE GROUPS.........................................133 4.1.Rights Related to Service in the Armed Forces ........................................................133 4.2.Rights of People with Disabilities.............................................................................147 4.3.Rights of Refugees....................................................................................................148 4.4.Children’s Rights ......................................................................................................150 4.5.Rights of Ethnic Minorities.......................................................................................154 CONCLUDING REMARKS..................................................................................156 ANNEXES............................................................................................................163 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2008 AN ALTERNATIVE INTRODUCTION “If the natural progress of our state had not been waylaid for some 600-700 years, we would most probably have become the driving force behind the values that are so widely espoused by Western democracies today.” From an interview with the RA Human Rights Defender in Hayastani Zrutsakits weekly newspaper (25th July, 2008) Armen Harutyunyan, Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia is
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Armenia: a Human Rights Perspective for Peace and Democracy
    6OJWFSTJU´U1PUTEBN "OKB.JIS]"SUVS.LSUJDIZBO]$MBVEJB.BIMFS]3FFUUB5PJWBOFO &ET "SNFOJB")VNBO3JHIUT1FSTQFDUJWF GPS1FBDFBOE%FNPDSBDZ )VNBO3JHIUT )VNBO3JHIUT&EVDBUJPOBOE.JOPSJUJFT Armenia: A Human Rights Perspective for Peace and Democracy Human Rights, Human Rights Education and Minorities Edited by Anja Mihr Artur Mkrtichyan Claudia Mahler Reetta Toivanen Universitätsverlag Potsdam 2005 Bibliografische Information Der Deutschen Bibliothek Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar. © Universität Potsdam, 2005 Herausgeber: MenschenRechtsZentrum der Universität Potsdam Vertrieb: Universitätsverlag Potsdam Postfach 60 15 53, 14415 Potsdam Fon +49 (0) 331 977 4517 / Fax 4625 e-mail: [email protected] http://info.ub.uni-potsdam.de/verlag.htm Druck: Audiovisuelles Zentrum der Universität Potsdam und sd:k Satz Druck GmbH Teltow ISBN 3-937786-66-X Dieses Manuskript ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Es darf ohne vorherige Genehmigung der Herausgeber nicht vervielfältigt werden. This book is published with the financial support of the Volkswagen Stiftung -Tandem Project Berlin/ Potsdam, Germany. The publication can be downloaded as PDF-file under: www.humanrightsresearch.de An Armenian version of the publication which includes papers of the con- ference and carries the title “Armenia from the perspective of Human Rights” was published by the Yerevan State University in Armenia in Au- gust 2005 and made possible through
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights House Yerevan Members
    UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA 35th Working Group Session (Report submitted in July, 2019) “The Status of Human Rights Defenders in Republic of Armenia” Joint submission by: Human Rights House Yerevan members: “Socioscope” Societal Research and Consultancy Center NGO “Pink” Human Rights Defender NGO “Women’s Resource Center” NGO “Real World, Real People” NGO With the support of the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) NGO in General Consultative Status with ECOSOC 1 Contact Information for the report: Human Rights House Yerevan (HRHY) 119/2 HovsepEmin, 0012 Yerevan, Armenia [email protected] https://humanrightshouse.org/human-rights-houses/yerevan/ Ms. NvardMargaryan Email: [email protected] Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) Rue de Varembé 1, PO Box 35, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland www.humanrightshouse.org Mr. Matthew Jones Email: [email protected] 2 ARMENIA Joint submission by a Group of Civil Society Organizations* to the UN Human Rights Council 35th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (20 – 31 January 2020) Yerevan, Armenia July 2019 I. Preface 1. This is a joint submission by a coalition of civil society actors with extensive experience in monitoring, documenting and reporting human rights violations of human rights defenders in Armenia. The report covers the following areas: the situation of human rights defenders in Armenia, freedom of assembly and association, of media; and protection of human rights defenders at particular risk. The report is prepared following the data based on the first-hand data collected and documented during their monitoring and right protection work by the member organizations of Human Rights House Yerevan. Preparation of the report was supported and coordinated by the Human Rights House Yerevan in Cooperation with the Human Rights House Foundation.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 UPR-ARMENIA in MIDTERM REVIEW January 2015– March
    UPR-ARMENIA IN MIDTERM REVIEW January 2015– March 2018 Mid-Term Report by a Group of Civil Society Organizations (based on conclusions and/or recommendations of the Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review –A/HRC/29/11, 13 April 2015) Preface Following the second cycle of UPR, a number of long-awaited reforms were announced by the Armenian government. Despite some modest progress, the overall reform process has been delayed due to the government’s lack of commitment, transparency, and determination to consider civil society recommendations. The government has not taken sufficient steps towards implementing the recommendations received during the second UPR review of Armenia. Approval of the National Strategy for Protection of Human Rights and its Action Plan were a positive step forward but the documents were adopted without consideration of the vast majority of civil society recommendations, including UPR recommendations. The government did not perceive the UPR process as an opportunity for structural changes, but rather approached it solely from a technocratic law-changing perspective. As a result, no real and practical changes have been registered with regards to human rights and freedoms. In 2017, stipulated by constitutional amendments, a number of laws regulating the state institutions and the governance system were adopted. These defined the scope of authorities and accountability of each branch of power and regulated separation of powers. The premise of the 2015 constitutional reform was to ensure more accountable and less centralized governance by increasing the role of the National Assembly (parliament), enhancing and clarifying the tools and mechanisms of parliamentary oversight over the executive, regulating the accountability of the state institutions before the parliament.
    [Show full text]
  • Trafficking of Women. Promoting International Human
    TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN. PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS THROUGH PREVENTION, PROTECTION, AND PROSECUTION (THREE “P’s”) IN ARMENIA A thesis presented to the faculty of the Center for International Studies of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Marina Solakhyan June 2007 This thesis titled TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN. PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS THROUGH PREVENTION, PROTECTION, AND PROSECUTION (THREE “P’s”) IN ARMENIA by MARINA SOLAKHYAN has been approved for the Center for International Studies by Elizabeth F. Collins Associate Professor of Classics and World Religions Drew McDaniel Interim Director, Center for International Studies Abstract SOLAKHYAN, MARINA, M.A., June 2007, International Development Studies TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN. PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS THROUGH PREVENTION, PROTECTION, AND PROSECUTION (THREE “P’s”) IN ARMENIA (77 pp.) Director of Thesis: Elizabeth Collins This thesis analyses the incidence and nature of the trafficking in people in Armenia. The phenomenon of trafficking is considered to be one of the most pressing and complex issues in the contemporary world. The thesis adopts a human rights approach, contending the promotion of international human rights norms through a Three “P’s” policy that highlights the three most important aspects of any anti-trafficking program: Preventing exploitation from occurring in the first place; Protecting those identified as victims; and Prosecuting those who trafficked and exploited them. Alongside the analysis of the universal and regional instruments and mechanisms available to address the problem of trafficking in the human rights context, this thesis provides an overview of the emergence of Armenia’s NGO sector and its development and describes the NGO sector role and activity against trafficking in women for sexual exploitation.
    [Show full text]
  • REPORT by the COMMISSIONER for HUMAN RIGHTS MR THOMAS HAMMARBERG on HIS VISIT to ARMENIA 7 – 11 October 2007
    Strasbourg, 30 April 2008 CommDH(2008)4 Original version REPORT BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS MR THOMAS HAMMARBERG ON HIS VISIT TO ARMENIA 7 – 11 October 2007 For the attention of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly CommDH(2008)4 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................ 4 II. NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION....................................................... 5 1. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER (O MBUDSMAN )...........................................................................................6 2. CIVIL SOCIETY ....................................................................................................................................6 3. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS ............................................7 III. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.................................................................................................. 7 1. STATUS OF JUDGES AND THEIR INDEPENDENCE .....................................................................................8 2. AUXILIARIES OF JUSTICE .....................................................................................................................9 3. THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL ..................................................................................................................9 a) Access to justice and transparency of legal process...........................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • UNFPA Armenia Country Programme Evaluation
    Third UNFPA Country Programme: Armenia 2016-2020 FINAL EVALUATION REPORT November 2019 Nov Source: https://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/armenia.pdf r 20November 2016 Country Programme Evaluation: Armenia The analysis and recommendations of this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Population Fund, its Executive Board or the United Nations Member States. EVALUATION TEAM Team Leader Arlette Campbell White Evaluator Ada Babloyan Evaluator Lusine Kharatyan Evaluation Research Assistant and Interpreter Manana Mananyan 2 UNFPA Armenia CO Country Programme Evaluations Reference Group Composition Name Organisation 1. Mahbub Alam M&E Adviser, UNFPA 2. Tsovinar Harutyunyan Assistant Representative, UNFPA Armenia CO 3. Lusine Sargsyan Evaluation Manager, UNFPA Armenia CO 4. Anahit Safyan National Statistical Committee 5. Anahit Martirosyan Ministry of Labour and Social Issues 6. Zhanna Andreasyan Ministry of Labour and Social Issues 7. Nune Pashayan Head of the Mother and childcare department, Ministry of Health 8. Arman Hovhannisyan Head of UN Desk MFA Armenia 9. Mane Tadevosyan RC Office, Monitoring and Evaluation 10. Mikayel Khachatryan Human Rights Defender’s Office 11. Nelly Duryan RA Police 12. Anna Harutyunyan Individual consultant 13. Astghik Martirosyan Monitoring and Evaluation/Child Rights Systems Monitoring Specialist , UNICEF Acknowledgements The Evaluation Team would like to thank UNFPA for the opportunity to undertake the evaluation for the Government of the Republic of Armenia and UNFPA’s Third Country Programme. We are particularly grateful to the UNFPA Armenia Country Office staff members who, despite a very heavy workload and other commitments, were so generous with their time and responsive to the Team’s repeated requests, often at short notice.
    [Show full text]
  • Doing Business in Armenia, Practical Law Country Q&A 8-638-0858 (2018)
    Doing Business in Armenia, Practical Law Country Q&A 8-638-0858 (2018) Doing Business in Armenia by Sedrak Asatryan, Aram Orbelyan, Janna Simonyan, Narine Beglaryan, Roustam Badasyan, Senior Associate and Ani Varderesyan, Concern Dialog Country Q&A | Law stated as at 01-May-2018 | Armenia A Q&A guide to doing business in Armenia. This Q&A gives an overview of key recent developments affecting doing business in Armenia as well as an introduction to the legal system; foreign investment, including restrictions, currency regulations and incentives; and business vehicles and their relevant restrictions and liabilities. The article also summarises the laws regulating employment relationships, including redundancies and mass layoffs, and provides short overviews on competition law; data protection; and product liability and safety. In addition, there are comprehensive summaries on taxation and tax residency; and intellectual property rights over patents, trade marks, registered and unregistered designs. This article is part of the global guide to doing business worldwide. For a full list of contents, please visit www.practicallaw.com/ dbi-guide. Overview 1. What are the key recent developments affecting doing business in your jurisdiction? With the inauguration of Armenia’s new president, the Constitution, as amended in 2015, has fully entered into force. Therefore, Armenia currently operates under a parliamentary system of government. The RA Tax Code, which was adopted in 2016, has replaced a number of separate laws regulating different types of taxes. It partially entered into force in 2017 and since the beginning of 2018 has been fully in force in Armenia. The New Civil Procedure Code of 2018 has recently entered into force.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora Friday, June 26, 6:30 Pm 16 Beaver Street, 4Th Floor, Ny, Ny Presentation and Discussion Hosted at 16 Beaver Group
    v HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMENIA AND THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 6:30 PM 16 BEAVER STREET, 4TH FLOOR, NY, NY PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION HOSTED AT 16 BEAVER GROUP Photo by Aramazt Kalayjian HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMENIA AND THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 6:30 PM 16 BEAVER STREET, 4TH FLOOR, NY, NY PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION HOSTED AT 16 BEAVER GROUP WHY, DESPITE A STRONG • Video-reports from the court sessions, Let’s meet and discuss about WHAT DIASPORA, ARE HUMAN • People, have been removed from the DIASPORA can DO. Let’s first RIGHTS ISSUES LEFT TO THE their own homes, for no legitimate learn about what is happening in CITIZEN’S OF ARMENIA? reasons Armenia from those who have had • Harsh exploitation of natural first hand experience and find ways Meanwhile members and resources led to the real environmental to address these issues and HELP organizations within the Armenian disaster PEOPLE IN ARMENIA PROTECT Diaspora directly and indirectly • In police stations, jails, other their RIGHTS! assist the Armenian government to detention facilities in fact people are “develop” Armenia. The government treated as slaves Arsen Kharatyan, a human of Armenia, however, is mainly rights activist and youth movement occupied with developing its own The violence, abuse and corruption leader engaged in founding of criminal nature, with the assistance are characteristic of a situation in pro-democracy civic groups Sksela they receive from the outside. Why Armenia nowadays. The brutality and Hima. In the months following is this so? against journalists, activists and the presidential elections, he was people is openly practiced by arrested three times for political Does the Diaspora know what is state bodies, political figures and activity, was severely beaten and going on in Armenia? the police.
    [Show full text]
  • The Status of Human Rights Defenders in Armenia”
    “The Status of Human Rights Defenders in Armenia” Distinguished delegates, Dear colleagues. I am going to present today the joint submission by Human Rights House Yerevan regarding the status of human rights defenders in Armenia. In its last Universal Periodic Review in January 2015, Armenia accepted all recommendations specific to human rights defenders (HRDs), mainly calling for better protection against harassment and intimidation, respect and guarantee the right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, as well as speedily and effectively investigating threats against human rights defenders. Defamation campaigns carried out by the state media and public officials were often used to stigmatize HRDs and discredit their work in Armenia from 2015 to 2018. These campaigns were portraying HRDs as foreign agents and spies who could result in increased threats. Even though freedom of expression was relatively respected and a free media existed in Armenia in that period of time, journalists who were critical of the authorities and those who exposed human rights violations and corruption were subject to harassment, restrictions on their work, threats and attacks. Human Rights Defenders consider the “Velvet Revolution” in May 2018 as an opportunity to advance policies which prioritize social justice, ensuring space for civil society action in Armenia and protect the human rights of human rights defenders as well. Nevertheless, challenges remain in many areas with respect to guaranteeing the freedom and security of HRDs. Cases of human rights violations at times of public demonstrations have been reported, including excessive use of force by the police – such as the use of water cannon, sound grenades during several protests in Armenia.
    [Show full text]
  • Security Sector Reform in Armenia
    REPORT Small arms and security in the Caucasus Security sector reform in Armenia Gagik Avagyan and Duncan Hiscock May 2005 Saferworld is an independent non-governmental organisation that works with governments and civil society internationally to research, promote and implement new strategies to increase human security and prevent armed violence. COVER PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES. Saferworld The Grayston Centre 28 Charles Square London N1 6HT UK Phone: +44 (0)20 7324 4646 Fax: +44 (0)20 7324 4647 Email: [email protected] Web: www.saferworld.org.uk ISBN 1 904833 07 1 Security sector reform in Armenia Gagik Avagyan and Duncan Hiscock SAFERWORLD MAY 2005 About the authors Gagik Avagyan is currently the Co-Chairman of the Armenian NGO and think-tank ‘Co-operation and Democracy’ working on media monitoring, democratisation and conflict resolution activities. Previously he worked as a senior advisor to the President of Armenia, and was a leading specialist at the Council for Religious Affairs attached to the Council of Ministers in Armenia. Gagik has worked with the Institute of War and Peace Reporting and other media institutions. He has written two books, 18 papers and over 100 newspaper and magazine articles. Duncan Hiscock is Project Coordinator for Eastern Europe at Saferworld. He has an MSc Distinction in Russian and Post-Soviet Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and has studied and worked in the former Soviet Union for almost ten years. Previous publications include The Caucasus: Armed and Divided with Matveeva A (eds),‘The Role of Civil Society in Security Sector Governance in the South Caucasus’ in Security Sector Governance in Southern Caucasus – Challenges and Visions,Ebnöther A and Gustenau G (eds), and Macedonia: Guns, Policing and Ethnic Division, with Matveeva A, Paes W-C, and Risser H.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenia by Alexander Iskandaryan
    Armenia by Alexander Iskandaryan Capital: Yerevan Population: 3.1 million GNI/capita, PPP: US$5,410 Source: The data above was provided by The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2011. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Electoral Process 5.50 5.50 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.50 5.75 5.75 5.75 Civil Society 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.75 3.75 3.75 Independent Media 4.75 5.00 5.25 5.50 5.50 5.75 5.75 6.00 6.00 6.00 Governance* 4.50 4.75 4.75 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a National Democratic Governance n/a n/a n/a 5.00 5.00 5.25 5.25 5.75 5.75 5.75 Local Democratic Governance n/a n/a n/a 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.75 Judicial Framework and Independence 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.25 5.00 5.00 5.25 5.50 5.50 5.50 Corruption 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.50 5.50 5.50 Democracy Score 4.83 4.92 5.00 5.18 5.14 5.21 5.21 5.39 5.39 5.43 * Starting with the 2005 edition, Freedom House introduced separate analysis and ratings for national democratic governance and local democratic governance to provide readers with more detailed and nuanced analysis of these two important subjects.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenia's Compliance with the International Covenant on Civil And
    Armenia’s Compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Suggested List of Issues Submitted by The Advocates for Human Rights a non-governmental organization in special consultative status with ECOSOC since 1996 and The Women’s Resource Center Armenia a non-governmental organization For the 129th Session of the Human Rights Committee 29 June 2020 – 24 June 2020 Submitted 1 June 2020 The Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates) is a volunteer-based non-governmental organization committed to the impartial promotion and protection of international human rights standards and the rule of law. Established in 1983, The Advocates conducts a range of programs to promote human rights in the United States and around the world, including monitoring and fact finding, direct legal representation, education and training, and publications. The Advocates is committed to ensuring human rights protection for women around the world. The Advocates has published more than 25 reports on violence against women as a human rights issue, provided consultation and commentary of draft laws on domestic violence, and trained lawyers, police, prosecutors, judges, and other law enforcement personnel to effectively implement new and existing laws on domestic violence. The Women’s Resource Center Armenia (“WRCA”) was founded in 2003. WRCA is working in the area of women’s human right, women’s social and political empowerment, reproductive and sexual rights, sexual violence and women’s role in the conflict resolution and peace building. WRCA’s main goal is to give women the necessary tools and empower them to become active citizens of the Armenian community, through education and support.
    [Show full text]