Charging persons for political motivation is ‘unacceptable’: PACE
committee demands suspension of Armenia’s delegation voting rights
Strasbourg, 18.12.2008 – Declaring it "unacceptable" that persons could
be charged and deprived of their liberty for political motivation in
Armenia in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008, the Monitoring
Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
yesterday recommended suspending the voting rights of Armenia’s
eight-member delegation to the Assembly until the authorities "have
clearly demonstrated their political will to resolve this issue." The
co-rapporteurs would visit the country in January 2009, with a view to
reporting back to the Committee on the first day of the January 2009
part-session on any progress with respect to the release of these
persons.
In two earlier resolutions, the Assembly had made several demands
following the post-electoral violence of March 2008, including the
holding of an independent, transparent and credible inquiry into what
happened, and the release of persons detained on "seemingly artificial
and politically motivated charges" in connection with those events.
In its draft resolution, adopted yesterday in Paris, the Monitoring
Committee welcomed the Armenian President’s creation of a fact-finding
group of experts to look into the March events as an important step
towards meeting the Assembly’s demands, but cautioned that its
credibility would depend on how it conducts its work. They also
expressed satisfaction at efforts to initiate reforms in the media,
electoral legislation and the judiciary.
However, the parliamentarians said that "notwithstanding positive
developments in some areas" the limited progress with regard to the
release of the above mentioned persons meant the Armenian delegation
should be deprived of its vote, if no further progress is reached in
this request before the January 2009 PACE plenary session.
The Assembly is due to decide on the matter on Thursday 29 January
during its forthcoming Winter plenary Session (26 – 30 January 2009).
Draft resolution
< resManager/defaultArtSiteView.asp?ID=3D831> (provisional version)
Resolution 1620 (2008)
< 3D/Documents/AdoptedText/ta08/eRES1620.htm>
Resolution 1609 (2008)
< D/Documents/AdoptedText/ta08/ERES1609.htm>
Press Release
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit
Ref: 926a08
Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93
Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34
[email protected]
internet:
The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 318 members from the national
parliaments of the 47 member states.
President: Lluís Maria de Puig (Spain, SOC) ; Secretary General of the
Assembly: Mateo Sorinas.
Political Groups: EPP/CD (Group of the European People’s Party); SOC
(Socialist Group); EDG (European Democratic Group);
ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe); UEL (Group of the
Unified European Left).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
