CO-RAPPORTEURS EXPRESSED DOUBT ON AD-HOC COMMITTEE REPORT

news.am
Dec 21 2009
Armenia

PACE monitoring commission declassified the report on Armenia by John
Prescott and Georges Colombier, who however did not show up at the
December 17 meeting.

The member of Armenian delegation to PACE and ARF Dashnaktsutyun member
Armen Rustamyan told RFE/RL Armenian service, that in 20-page document,
authors touched upon the report of Ad-hoc committee. Co-rapporteurs
expressed doubt on committee’s assessment, namely conclusions that
March 1 events were adequate and lawful, in particular considering
the fact that three demonstrators died of Cheremukha-7 gas used by
police. Prescott and Colombier reckon that cause of 10 people’s death
is not elicited and the guilty are not detained. Co-rapporteurs also
suppose that discussion of the March 1-2 events by the committee,
particularly oppositionists’ arrest is insufficient as well.

The head of Armenian delegation to PACE Davit Harutyunyan also said
that police actions were inadequate from the common sense viewpoint,
"but unfortunately there is no legal ground for initial arraignment."