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  • Conference Without Human Rights Defenders

    CONFERENCE WITHOUT HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

    http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/interview17 326.html
    13:54:26 - 29/03/2010

    Head of Vanadzor office of Helsinki Civil Assembly Artur Sakunts, in
    an interview with lragir.am, dwelt on the situation over the upcoming
    conference of FIDH scheduled in April in Yerevan.

    You refused signing the joint statement with the Institute for Civil
    Society which created grounds for discussions in the press. New
    developments followed it which, proceeding from responses, get
    quite a serious character. Many lawyers refused participating in
    the conference. Which is the reason why they refuse so easily to
    participate in a conference on human rights which Armenia needs
    so much?

    It has been spoken about an international human rights conference
    in Yerevan since last year, when FIDH (International Federation
    of Human Rights) representatives arrived in Armenia. Naturally,
    Armenian human rights organizations were supposed to be included in
    the preparation works.

    We learnt about the agenda of the conference accidentally from the
    FIDH web site. It had been worked out without our participation. First
    complaints aroused when we saw that the conference was to be started
    with Serge Sargsyan's welcoming speech. His participation in a
    conference entitled "fair investigation" was incomprehensible for us.

    Speeches of the head of the Armenian Court of Appeals, Minister of
    Justice, and the Ombudsman were also planned. The Armenian prosecutor
    general was also invited. But no representative of a human rights
    organization was going to hold a speech.

    A person who is responsible for terrible violence of human rights,
    who came to power through killings and election rigging was going to
    open the conference in case the suggestion of the wives of political
    prisoners to show Tigran Paskevichyan's film "Choice" about political
    prisoners was refused.

    The agenda was said not to be changeable. Serge Sargsyan's opening
    speech was replaced by the speech of the CC head Gagik Harutyunyan,
    which is also unacceptable. The Institute of Civil Society comes out
    to hold speeches at its own conference.

    My opinion is that the death of 10 and 200 injured people were not
    a result of a clash.

    FIDH dealt with this issue in its new statement.

    Formulations are changed but the format is the same. We have to
    record that as a result of our protest, the conference is changed
    cosmetically but no proposal of our was included in the agenda.

    Unfortunately, the impression is that you fight against a governmental
    structure for the sake of human rights.

    In your opinion, what determined the atmosphere of confidentiality?

    Recall that after our protests, FIDH president issued a statement
    which raised the issue of political prisoners and killings. It turns
    out that we forced them to say what they, in fact, had to say.

    It is a conference on Human Rights, which was closed to human rights
    defenders. And the responsibility for this lies is put on the Institute
    for Civil Society and FIDH. This international organization still has
    a chance to save its face before April 6. Obviously, the president
    of FIDH is in time trouble.

    You assert that the conference will be held in an atmosphere formed
    by the authorities? Then what is its sense?

    Authorities try to prove that the situation is under control, and
    it can be changed through concrete steps and actions that do not
    correspond to reality. The conference will have a protocol, formal
    nature. This is another event of the authorities.

    Who will participate in the conference? The number of those who refuse
    to participate is growing.

    I do not know. They used to say that about 40 organizations should take
    part, now they do not mention any number. Now they say the conference
    will be open - one more change. How can anything be changed through
    protests in a conference dedicated to human right?

    There are opinions that the conference is held in support of Serge
    Sargsyan in the context of the Armenian and Turkish relations,
    considering the fact that it will be dedicated to the genocide issue.

    It is very strange that the genocide issue is discussed during
    a conference dedicated to investigation. The genocide issue is a
    question of political significance and the initiator of this issue
    is the father of football diplomacy Serge Sargsyan. After March 1, an
    outrageous thing happened when as a result of political persecutions
    a mass of political prisoners appeared, dealing with human rights was
    connected with politics. We have a politicized human rights defense
    sphere which was revealed within the frameworks of this conference.

    Since it was stated about this conference on human rights during the
    latest rally and broad masses learnt about it, do you think it is
    possible to fail?

    The fact that the opening ceremony was scheduled to be held in the
    theater of Opera and Ballet and was changed as a result of our protest
    shows the authorities avoided the resumption of protest actions at
    the Liberty Square.
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