AZG Armenian Daily #117, 25/06/2005

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ARMENIA ACCORDING TO REPORT OF RA OMBUDSWOMAN

‘Cooperation for Sake of Open Society’ initiated public discussion of the
annual report of RA Ombudswoman.

The ombudsman’s institute managed to get involved in contradictions with
both executive and legislative and judicial powers. They even confiscated
the computer of the ombudsman office with all the information in it. So, the
discussion was also dedicated to protection of the ombudswoman’s institute.

RA Ombudswoman received 1294 written appeals from 2346 citizens. The report
was based on these facts of human rights’ violation cases. “Since last year,
the violation of the property right became widely spread. There is no
response from either Ra National Assembly or any other instance. People are
left alone and face the cruel facts that they are deprived of their own
property. While they can never buy houses with the money they are given for
that property,” Larisa Alaverdian, RA ombudswoman, said, emphasizing the
cases of the Northern Avenue, the Buzand Street residents and the owners of
Dalma Orchards.

RA Ombudswoman conditioned the cases of abuse of official position, bad
management by not only personal but also qualities of the forces. This
seemed to be caused by bad laws. The report touches upon the importance of
such issues too in a separate section.

“This is the first official report on human rights, that includes mainly all
the spheres of violation of human rights in Armenia. It objectively and
often strictly evaluates the situation,” Avetik Ishkahnian, Chairman of
“Helsinki Committee in Armenia” NGO, said during the discussion. In response
to the issue what impression a foreigner will get about Armenia when reading
this report, he said “A foreigner will think that Armenia is a weak
authoritarian country or a state that is imitating democracy.”

By Karine Danielian