RA Ombudsman publicizes 2008 annual report on situation in sphere

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 10, RA Ombudsman Armen
Haroutiunian publicized the 2008 annual report on protection of human
rights in Armenia in 2008.

A. Haroutiunian considers that political system’s authoritarianism has
an impact on human rights protection in Armenia. At that, it regards
both the authorities and the majority of political parties representing
the opposition. According to him, Armenia’s society is more ready for
democratization than country’s political system. "Armenian society’s
problem is getting rid of Bolshevism heritage, which requires much
persistence," A. Haroutiunian said.

He considers that there are two ways before the country: either through
the system of counterbalances and suppressions to build a civil society
and to improve protection of human rights, to achieve progress or under
conditions of "hegemony" to have indifferent society, formal nature of
human rights, which is a deadlock. A. Haroutiunian considers that
indifference is Armenia’s greatest danger.

According to him, it is time for formation of separate political and
economic elites cooperating with each other in the country, it is also
time to renounce the oligarch system. The Ombudsman also considers that
the oligarch capital should admit supremacy of law and return part of
things they took away from society coming to a transparent tax sphere.
Corruption will reduce as a result of it and society’s most part will
be turned into the medium stratum living with dignity. "Otherwise
society will sooner or later take what is due to it. We propose the
concession that will form civilized, free economic relations and will
keep the Republic of Armenia away from shocks," the Ombudsman said
emphasizing that without a liberal economy it is no use speaking about
protection of human rights. "It is time to renounce the culture of
"possibilities" in favor of the culture of "law," he stressed.

According to the Ombudsman, passing from the administrative-political
repressive model to democratic government is a compulsory precondition
for country’s normal development.

According to A. Haroutiunian, the current bases of the repressive
system remaining from the Soviet period are especially the Prosecutor’s
Office and the Special Investigation Service. According to the
Ombudsman, its evidence is the working style of the Special
Investigation Service, because of which Ombudsman’s office receives
many complaints that people are made to give confession testimony or
testimony against third persons. "Those bodies remained professional in
case of subordinating an individual to the state and non-professional
in case of ensuring supremacy of law. That non-professionalism is a
heavy burden for all of us and first of all for the power system,
which, we can say, has become the hostage of that non-professionalism,"
A. Haroutiunian emphasized.

According to Ombudsman’s analysis, the atmosphere of fear does not
reduce in society in consequence of existence of the repressive system,
and getting rid of it is among society’s most serious problems.

It was mentioned that the judicial system also has system problems, and
society’s confidence in judicial bodies is inadmissibly low. According
to the Ombudsman, the system of democracy, including independent
judicial system, can be perfected if only there is an exact willingness
to establish democracy.

A. Haroutiunian considers alarming the one-sided activity of
administrative machinery during the state of emergency in Yerevan from
2008 March 1 to March 20, in consequence of which only the view of the
authorities was voiced 20 days running. "There was "no more efficient
way" for inflaming the passions and splitting society. Under all
conditions and especially after tragic events people can be calmed down
and to some extent consolidated only through a many-sided society and
not through "brain-washing" with a one-sided agitation," RA Ombudsman
Armen Haroutiunian stated.