ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS CONDEMNS GOVERNMENT’S DENIAL OF OSCE ODIHR REPORT
Tert.am
12:09 ~U 31.03.10
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) has released a statement
condemning the ruling authorities and governmental bodies for denying
a recent report by OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR) on the events of March 1, 2008.
The report, having thoroughly studied and evaluated the process
of about 100 criminal cases, revealed dozens of facts and tough
violations of such rights as a person’s right to freedom, presumption
of innocence, the principle of equality of sides, sentencing people
based only on evidence given by the police and extorted through
terrorizing and degrading treatment.
The HAK statement says that the RA Ministry of Justice denies "unlawful
actions and mistakes" committed by a law enforcement body (especially
the Prosecutor’s Office) which it has nothing to do with, while the
Ministry is forgetful of the fact that it has no such authority,
neither by the Constitution nor by law.
Further, the Armenian National Congress says that the RA Court
of Cassation, in turn, maintains its right to express opinions and
provide assessments in relation to March 1 events, while most of the
appeals weren’t even examined or heard in court.
"These two state bodies, unaware of March 1 cases, are shamelessly
objecting and trying to deny what happened in front of thousands
of citizens, they are faking known realities and facts, they
are distorting what is objective and real, they are trying to
smear and smother what international co-rapporteurs observed and
registered," reads the statement, adding that instead of hunting
down the perpetrators, the ruling authorities have settled down to
the short-sighted and disreputable task of denying what was stated
by the report.