ARMENIA TO RECONSIDER AMENDMENTS TOUGHENING LAW ON RALLIES
Interfax, Russia
April 22 2008
Armenia will reconsider amendments to the law on rallies, processions,
demonstrations, and assemblies, which were made after the March 1,
2008, unrest in Yerevan, David Arutyunian, the head of the Armenian
delegation to PACE, said at a press conference in Yerevan on Tuesday.
"It is unclear whether the parliament will return to the original
version of the law, but what is certain is that the parliamentarians
will take into consideration the Council of Europe Venice Commission’s
recommendations and take appropriate steps," Arutyunian said.
PACE passed a resolution on April 17 in which it called for "the
immediate opening of an independent inquiry into the events of 1
March (which resulted in 10 people killed and 200 injured), the urgent
release of the persons detained on seemingly artificial and politically
motivated charges and the revocation of the amendments recently
adopted by the National Assembly to the Law on conducting meetings,
assemblies, rallies and demonstrations, with immediate effect."