OSCE AND CE WELCOME AGREEMENT REACHED WITH LEADING ARMENIAN STATE REPRESENTATIVES TO MAKE CHANGES TO RECENTLY AMENDED ASSEMBLY LAW
arminfo
2008-04-22 16:21:00
ArmInfo. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR) and Council of Europe’s Venice Commission today welcomed
the agreement reached with leading Armenian state representatives
to make changes to the recently amended assembly law on holding of
demonstrations, processions and rallies .
As OSCE Headquarters told ArmInfo, ODIHR Director Christian Strohal
said: "We see this agreement as another step in the long-standing
cooperation between the Armenian authorities, the ODIHR and the Venice
Commission on the legislative regulation of public assemblies". For
his part, General Secretary of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio
said: "The Venice Commission and the ODIHR look forward to receiving
the drafts of the new amendments and stand ready to review them in
light of relevant international standards".
In a legal opinion published on 28 March, the ODIHR and the Venice
Commission raised serious concerns about the amendments to the Law
on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations which
was passed shortly after the violent events of 1-2 March. During a
visit to Yerevan on 15-16 April, a delegation from the ODIHR and the
Venice Commission delegation met with Tigran Torosyan, the Speaker
of the National Assembly, Gevorg Danielyan, Minister of Justice,
and presidential adviser Gevorg Mheryan.
It was agreed to repeal or change the amendments introduced to tighten
provisions for peaceful assemblies, in particular with regard to
spontaneous gatherings. These changes would bring the law closer to its
original content, which had been assessed positively by the ODIHR and
the Venice Commission. Based on the agreement reached, new amendments
will be drafted and submitted to ODIHR and the Venice Commission for
another review. The ODIHR and Venice Commission experts suggested that
sufficient time be allowed for public discussion of the amendments.