PROTECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN KARABAKH
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
01 Oct 04
The chairman of the parliament committee of foreign relations and
information Vahram Atanessian undertook the bill `On the protector of
human rights’ which was included in the schedule of the ninth session
of the NKR National Assembly. The bill may be discussed in October. If
the law is adopted, for the first time in our country an ombudsman
will be appointed whose only responsibility will be to protect
people’s rights. The notion of ombudsman first appeared in Sweden. In
the second half of the 20th century most countries of the world
already had the institution of the protector of human rights. Usually
the ombudsman is appointed by the parliament although in some
countries the president also takes part in this, but originally this
is a parliamentary form of protection of human rights. The ombudsman’s
decisions, as a rule, do not have force of law, however, being
included in the report of the ombudsman with a negative shade is a
blow to the carrier of any official. It is notable that the protector
of human rights views the actions not only from the point of view of
correspondence to the law but also to justice and appropriateness. As
a rule the person who is known in public as frank, respectable, able
to work independently is appointed as ombudsman. Who will be ombudsman
in Karabakh after the adoption of the law is not discussed
yet. Perhaps it will be discussed along with the law.
NAIRA HAYRUMIAN.
01-10-2004