DEBATES ON FUNCTIONING OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS IN ARMENIA TO BE HELD IN PACE TODAY

ArmInfo
2009-06-24 11:04:00

ArmInfo. Debates on functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia
will be held in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
today. Co- rapporteurs of PACE Monitoring Committee John Prescott and
Georges Colombier, who visited Armenia on June 15-16, will present
their reports on this topic.

The present report notes that, as a result of the efforts by the
Parliamentary Assembly, as well as other parts of the Council
of Europe, and also the excellent co-operation with the Armenian
delegation to the Assembly over the last 15 months, incremental
progress has been made by the Armenian authorities to comply with
the demands of the Assembly: the controversial amendments to the
Law on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations
have been repealed, an investigation into the events of 1 and 2 March
2008 has started, important changes to problematic provisions in the
Criminal Code have been adopted, and several reforms recommended by
the Assembly have been initiated.

That process has now culminated in an amnesty as a result of which
most, albeit not all, persons deprived of their liberty in relation
to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008, will be released. At the same
time, the Monitoring Committee notes that the fact finding group to
establish the facts with regard the events on 1 and 2 March 2008
and their circumstances has been disbanded due to insurmountable
tensions between its members and considers that the disbandment
of the fact-finding group should not be allowed to circumvent the
conclusion of an independent and credible inquiry as demanded by the
Assembly. Therefore, although the declaration of amnesty means that the
authorities have complied with a crucial demand of the Assembly and,
most importantly, that an important new page has been turned in the
normalisation of Armenia’s political life and resolution of the crisis,
the Monitoring Committee notes that these achievements should not be
seen as the end of the process. The Monitoring Committee should fully
support and accompany that process in the framework of the regular
monitoring procedure of the Assembly with respect to Armenia.