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CIVIL NEWS
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority It is time to sit back and reflect.
Human rights activists complain the Secretary General of the Council of Europe about human rights violations in Armenia
Human rights defenders from Armenia send an appeal to Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland, who is going to visit Yerevan in the next few days. Representatives of the several organizations attract attention of Jagland to systematic violations of human rights in this country.
“In advance of your forthcoming visit to Yerevan to attend a Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, we would like to bring to your attention a number of pressing human rights issues which negatively affect the state of democracy in Armenia», authors of address write.
“Despite the concrete demands articulated in resolutions 1609 (2008), 1622 (2008), 1643 (2009) and 1677 (2009) adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe following the crisis after the rigged presidential elections of February 2008, the Armenian authorities have failed to conduct an impartial and comprehensive investigation into the events of March 1st 2008 and release "persons deprived of their liberty on political grounds”, human rights defenders appeal.
The appeal writers also underline that “responsible for the killings of innocent civilians have not been called to account, and 13 of political prisoners still remain in prisons”.
Armenian human rights defenders ask Jagland to “secure the immediate release of all political prisoners and ensure an independent and impartial investigation into the events of March 1st, 2008”.
In addition, the appeal writers urges the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to pay visits to the persons imprisoned as political prisoners in connection with 2008 presidential elections and subsequent events. “We are confident that your meetings with Armenian political prisoners will force the Armenian authorities to fulfill their obligations and release them as the PACE has required”, letter writers stress.
The appeal was signed by 10 representatives of human rights and civil organizations (including YHRM correspondents): Natalya Martirosyan (Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Armenian Committee), Sona Ayvazyan (Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center), Melissa Brown (Shahkhatun-Political Prisoners' Wives), Mikayel Danielyan (Armenian Helsinki Association), Arthur Sakunts (Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office), Levon Barseghyan, (Journalists Asparez Club), Vardan Harutyunyan (Center for Rights and Freedom), Nadezhda Hakobyan (Menq Plus NGO), Nouneh Dilanyan (Mijnaberd Cultural-Educational NGO), Karen Hakobyan (Hope NGO), Isabella Sargsyan (Youth for Democracy).