The supreme commissioner of the Council of Europe on human rights, Thomas Hummerberg, published a report on Armenia, in which he appraised the act of force by the police on March 1st 2008 as “disproportionate.” Hummerberg stated that to the present day none of the people responsible for the events have been found. The investigation into the deaths of 10 people was inefficient, according to the commissioner.
Meantime, Hummerberg highlighted the positive aspect of the order by President Sargsyan to investigate the events of March 1st and free some prisoners among the active opposition members. He called for other opposition activists to be set free and stressed the necessity of efforts to rebuild trust in the authorities. The commissioner touched on the problem of freedom of speech and freedom of meetings and demonstrations.
The report had to be published on May 2nd. However, according to unofficial information, the Armenian government asked him to postpone publication in order to be ready to answer some requests. The office of the Supreme Commissioner agreed to postpone it for a week.
The report was scrutinised by Armenian human rights activists, who think that the report reflects the current situation in Armenia.
The report wasn’t a surprise for the authorities. David Arutyunyan, the leader of the ruling party of Armenia, stated that he expected the position of Hummerberg and that by the end of summer there will be a set of steps for the country’s development.
The question is: why has the report appeared only now? When the commissioner visited Armenia in November 2008 he promised to write it in a few months. However, the report was developed only 2 years on. This is understandable, in the context of Armenia meeting its responsibilities to the Council of Europe. The CE has a tendency to avoid adopting some documents and making decisions. Armenia is no exception.
The CE was probably waiting for the Armenian authorities to improve the situation, but they didn’t manage to overcome the political crisis, which appeared after the presidential elections of 2008.
Susanna Petrosyan.Yerevan. Exclusively to VK.
