CHARGING PERSONS FOR POLITICAL MOTIVATION IS UNACCEPTABLE: PACE MONITORING COMMITTEE DRAFT RESOLUTION READS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 18, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The Council of Europe Armenian
Office has spread the following press release on the results of PACE
Monitoring Committee December 17 sitting: "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)."