AZERBAIJAN IS WAGING TOTAL INFORMATION WAR EVEN IN FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION, RA OMBUDSMAN SAYS

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 10, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Azerbaijan is trying to turn the
field of human rights protection into one of the main dimensions
of its information war, and in many cases the Ombudsman of Armenia
has to become, in some sense, a national and political figure at
international organizations instead of speaking about human rights.

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia Armen Harutyunian stated this
during the February 10 press conference. "We are at total information
war, and I appeal to the public to take it into account and to act
as one fist," he said, adding: "Willy-nilly, each of us must also
support our national interests because human rights and the national
and state interests are interwoven."

At the same time A. Harutyunian underlined that this unity should not
be mechanical: the state machinery should really address the needs of
ordinary citizen. He reminded that months ago the ombudsman of Nagorno
Karabakh had become a member of the European Ombudsman Institute, after
which Azerbaijan, through its ambassadors, friends and parliaments
of other countries, "launched serious attacks", seeking cancellation
of the Karabakh ombudsman’s membership, but in vain.

"This prompted us to discuss a version of membership for ombudsmen
of the other unrecognized states, as human rights are above current
politics," A. Harutyunian said, stressing that the de facto formed,
but de jure unrecognized states also face human rights problems so
there is necessity to discuss and solve them.