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PACE Monitoring Committee Remains Concerned About The Limited Progre

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  • PACE Monitoring Committee Remains Concerned About The Limited Progre

    PACE MONITORING COMMITTEE REMAINS CONCERNED ABOUT THE LIMITED PROGRESS WITH REGARD TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS 1609 AND 1620

    ArmInfo
    2008-10-02 17:44:00

    ArmInfo. The PACE Monitoring Committee remains concerned about the
    limited progress with regard to the implementation of Resolutions
    1609 and 1620.

    As the Council of Europe Office on Armenia told ArmInfo, Thursday,
    the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
    of Europe (PACE) has received the report from the Human Rights
    Commissioner regarding his visit to Yerevan from 13 to 15 July 2008
    and is extremely alarmed about its findings and conclusions that show
    that only limited progress has been achieved regarding key demands
    of the Assembly.

    The committee therefore invited the Human Rights Commissioner to
    return to Yerevan and report back to the committee at its meeting in
    Paris on 17 December 2008.

    While noting the positive steps made regarding establishment of an
    independent and credible inquiry, the Monitoring Committee remains
    extremely concerned regarding persons deprived of their liberty in
    relation to the events on 1 and 2 March 2008. In Resolution 1620
    (2008), the Assembly made it clear that "the cases still under
    investigation should be closed or promptly brought before the courts";
    "a verdict based solely on police testimony without corroborating
    evidence cannot be acceptable" and that "the cases under Articles
    300 and 225 of the Criminal Code should be dropped unless there is
    strong evidence that the accused have personally committed acts of
    violence or ordered, abetted or assisted to commit them".

    In that respect, the committee took note that, while the investigations
    regarding persons in preventive detention have now closed, the cases
    against seven, all charged under articles 300 and 225, have not yet
    been brought before the courts as a result of the excessive length
    of the investigation.

    In addition, the committee is deeply concerned that the investigations
    regarding the responsibility for the ten deaths on 1 and 2 March have
    not yet been, or are not yet on the point of being, concluded. Serious
    questions remain regarding the nature of the charges brought against
    people arrested in relation to the events on 1 and 2 March, as well
    as regarding the court proceedings of several cases, including with
    regard to the principle of a fair trial. In addition, and contrary
    to Assembly demands, 19 persons have been convicted on the basis of
    police testimony only. The committee is therefore seriously concerned
    that people may have been detained, and even convicted, based on
    political beliefs and non-violent activities, which is unacceptable to
    the Assembly. The committee regrets that the Armenian authorities did
    not consider the possibility of amnesty, pardons, or any other legal
    means available to them, to resolve the situation regarding persons
    deprived of their liberty in relation to the events on 1 and 2 March
    2008. It strongly urges the authorities to consider such options,
    which would result in major progress towards meeting the requirements
    of the Assembly. The committee noted the positive steps regarding
    the establishment of an independent and credible inquiry as outlined
    in the report by the Commissioner. The committee expresses its full
    support for the proposals made by the Commissioner. It welcomes the
    constructive dialogue between the Armenian authorities and Commissioner
    on this issue and hopes that the remaining outstanding issues will
    be resolved soon in order for the expert group to start and finalise
    its work as soon as possible.

    The committee is of the view that Armenia is on a threshold regarding
    the implementation of Resolutions 1609 (2008) and 1620 (2008). Now
    is the time for the Armenian authorities to show the political will
    to resolve this problem. The committee places its full trust in, and
    gives its full support for the work of the Human Rights Commissioner
    in this respect. Therefore, it would invite the Commissioner to make
    a follow-up visit to Yerevan and to report back to the committee at
    its meeting on 17 December 2008 on the progress made regarding the
    independent and credible inquiry and release of persons deprived of
    their liberty in relation to the events on 1 and 2 March. In December,
    on the basis of that report, the committee will make its decision on
    the actions, and possible sanctions, it will recommend to the plenary
    of the Assembly in January 2009.
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