PACE: WITH THE AMNESTY THE AUTHORITIES IN ARMENIA HAVE INDICATED THEIR WILLINGNESS TO OVERCOME THE POLITICAL CRISIS
armradio.am
25.06.2009 18:35
In a resolution on the functioning of democratic institutions
in Armenia, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) today welcomed the general amnesty adopted on 19 June, under
which most, if not all, of the persons deprived of their liberty in
relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008 will be released. With
this measure, the authorities have complied with a crucial demand of
the Assembly in its Resolution 1643 (2009), and have given a clear
indication of their willingness to overcome the political crisis
that ensued after the Presidential election of February 2008. The
Assembly will, however, follow the developments with regard to the
remaining cases.
The Assembly regrets, however, the breakdown of the work of the
independent expert group to establish the facts in relation to the
events of 1 and 2 March 2008 as a result of tensions between its
members and the politicizing of its work. PACE considers that an
independent, impartial and credible investigation into these events
is still necessary, and therefore reaffirms its demand that such an
investigation be conducted in line with the criteria outlined by the
Assembly, notwithstanding the breakdown of the fact-finding group.
Furthermore, noting that undue restrictions are still placed on
the organization of rallies, the Assembly reiterated its call for
the authorities to respect the principle of freedom of assembly in
practice, and monitor the implementation of the amended law on rallies
and demonstrations.
Given the numerous allegations of widespread fraud during the election
of the Yerevan City Council on 31 May 2009, and the fact that public
trust in the electoral process is still very low in Armenia, PACE
also stressed that electoral reform should be a priority for the
authorities.
During the parliamentary debate, the PACE co-rapporteurs on the
monitoring of Armenia, Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and John
Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), reported on progress made by the
Armenian authorities towards compliance with the demands of the
Assembly, in particular important changes to the provisions of the
Criminal Code and the initiation of several reforms, culminating
in an amnesty. While Armenia has taken a decisive step towards the
normalization of political life, these achievements should not be
seen as the end of the process. The Assembly therefore invited
its Monitoring Committee to provide full support for democratic
consolidation in Armenia, in the framework of its regular monitoring
procedure.