HEAD OF ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO PACE SHARES CE COMMITTEE’S CONCERN
news.am
March 22 2010
Armenia
Head of the Armenian delegation to the CE Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)
David Harutyunyan attaches importance to the report released by the
CE Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment. In his interview with RFE/LR he stated that
the report, which contains the RA Government’s official answers,
was released at the suggestion of the RA Ministry of Justice and RA
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In its report, the CE Committee expressed its concern over the torture
inflicted on the persons arrested after the tragic events on March 1,
2008. The Committee calls for a public investigation of the events.
"In some cases, when certain events take place in countries, the
Committee has the right to send a special mission group there. Such a
visit was paid to Armenia after the March 1 events, and the Committee’s
reports are, naturally, not always pleasing to read.
Nonetheless, I think they are most important as a deterrent to both
the Government and the public. That is, measures to put an end to
this phenomenon must immediately be elaborated," Harutyunyan said.
As regards his sharing the CE Committee’s concern, Harutyunyan said
that he "not only share[s] it, but also think[s] the situation must
be improved by means of legislative reforms."
Speaking of the inadequate police actions on March 1-2, 2008, and the
CE Committee’s statements on the investigation into the ten deaths,
Harutyunyan said: "I think some work will be done irrespective of the
report. But the issues raised by the experts of the CE Committee for
the Prevention of Torture are important, and the Government should
give consideration to them once more."