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    Categories: 2020

35th Universal Periodic Review: UK statement on Armenia

UK Government
Jan 30 2020

The UK delivers statement on Armenia at the 35th Session of Universal Periodic Review (UPR), sharing recommendations to improve their human rights record.

The United Kingdom welcomes Armenia’s positive progress since its 2015 review, and the Government’s commitment to wide-ranging reforms. In particular, we acknowledge Armenia’s conduct of elections in December 2018. We also welcome Armenia’s advances in media freedom, however we remain concerned about reported incidences of hate speech and attacks against LGBT individuals.

The UK welcomes Armenia’s progress in adopting legislative reforms towards gender equality and combatting violence against women.

We recommend that Armenia:

  1. Ratify the 2014 protocol to the ILO Forced Labour Convention of 1930 (P029);

  2. Adopt an open, merit-based process when selecting national candidates for UN Treaty Body elections;

  3. Sign the Global Pledge on Media Freedom, and commit to international efforts to create a safer environment for journalists worldwide as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition.


Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS