Lragir, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

COMMISSIONER HAMMARBERG VISITS ARMENIA TO ASSESS THE RESPECT FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human
Rights, starts on Sunday 7 October a 5-day high-level official visit
to Armenia to assess the human rights situation in the country, the
Yerevan office of the CoE reported today.

At the centre of Mr. Hammarberg’s agenda there will be a broad range
of human rights issues, including the functioning of the judiciary,
conditions of detention, prohibition of torture and ill-treatment,
freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, minorities’ rights,
conscientious objectors, rights of refugees, social and economic
rights. The visit will also focus on trafficking in human beings and
vulnerable groups. Commissioner Hammarberg will visit various police
stations, detention centres, shelters and psychiatric institutions in
Yerevan and Gyumri.

During the visit, the Commissioner will hold meetings with the
highest authorities of the State, including the President, Robert
Kocharyan, the Prime-Minister, Serge Sargsyan and the Chairman of the
Parliament, Tigran Torosyan. He will also meet parliamentarians, the
Presidents of the Constitutional Court and the Cassation Court, the
Ombudsman, local authorities, the Head of the Armenian Church, as
well as representatives of the civil society.

In the afternoon of Thursday 11 October, Mr. Hammarberg will hold a
press conference to present the first findings.

This visit falls within an ongoing series of the Commissioner’s
country missions to all Council of Europe’s member States. An
assessment report containing concrete recommendations will be
officially presented towards the end of the year.