A1plus

| 14:59:46 | 28-05-2005 | Politics |

ONLY ONE PERSON SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION

Leaders of the Christian Democratic Union of Armenia and National
Self-Determination Union hold different opinions on the problems connected
with the Ombudsman’s activities.

CDUA leader Khosrov Harutyunyan considers that for the formation of the
institute of human rights defender the role of the society is very
important. `We should go forward and form the institute of ombudsman helping
each other. We should strive for healthy preconditions for the formation of
public opinion and make the officials count with this opinion’, he says.

He admits that whoever would appoint the Ombudsman, the latter will be
dependent in a way. Khosrov Harutyunyan is convinced that the Ombudsman
should be subordinate to the society entirely. `We should find mechanisms
for the activities, which would be appreciated by the society. The people
but not the President or the Prime Minister should be satisfied with the
Ombudsman’s activities. We should find the forms of institutional expression
of the public opinion via impartial social surveys or round tables’, he
added.

CDUA chairman considers that there is one serious problem impeding the
independence of the Ombudsman’s activities – the staff of the Ombudsman’s
office are considered to be civic servants. They should be experts,
professionals, who work with the Ombudsman on the contractual basis. There
should be nothing in common with the structure of the presidential or
ministerial administration. However with the help of civic service we began
indirectly influence the nature of the Ombudsman’s activities and
independence’, Khosrov Harutyunyan says.

Leader of the National Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikyan, who was
engaged in the human rights protection formerly, considers that to date more
appropriate conditions for the human rights defender have been created. He
is convinced that the Ombudsman should be appointed by the parliament. These
are the standards admitted all over the world. In Hayrikyan’s opinion, the
Ombudsman should not be the only person to protect human rights. It is the
task of the whole political system. `Ombudsman’s principal task is the role
of a mediator and declare of the violations of human rights that take
place’, he says.

On the whole he considers that the Constitution based on international
documents properly represents the clauses on human rights.

Lena Badeyan