PACE CO-RAPPORTEURS: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES NEED TO IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDED REFORMS WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. "The Armenian authorities need
to implement the reforms recommended by the ad hoc Committee of
the National Assembly of Armenia on the events of 1 and 2 March
2008, without further delay," concluded the co-rapporteurs of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), John Prescott
(United Kingdom, SOC) and Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD), following
an exchange of views in the PACE Monitoring Committee last week.

"The reforms recommended by the ad hoc Committee, in combination with
those contained in the relevant PACE resolutions, if implemented in
good faith, could comprehensively address the circumstances that led
to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008," the co-rapporteurs said.

According to a report of the Council of Europe Information Office in
Armenia, they stressed that these recommendations therefore needed to
be implemented without further delay, especially those related to the
reform of the police – including the establishment of an independent
oversight and complaints body – and the long overdue reform of the
electoral code.

The co-rapporteurs announced that they would send a letter to the
Armenian Parliament asking it to provide the Monitoring Committee,
before its meeting on 17 March 2010 in Paris, with a clear timetable
for these reforms. "On the basis of the discussions in the Monitoring
Committee we will then visit Yerevan this spring to discuss the
establishment of a clear roadmap for the implementation of these
reforms," the co-rapporteurs said.

In addition to the roadmap, the co-rapporteurs also intend to raise
the issue of the sentencing of Nikol Pashinian as well as other cases
where they have sought clarification from the authorities. "A number of
issues following the events of 1 and 2 March still need to be clarified
and addressed", the co-rapporteurs said, stressing the continuing
importance and need for the monitoring of political developments by
the Assembly and other relevant bodies of the Council of Europe.