“We can not be proud of our achievements in the field of human rights. Essentially, we have not gone far from the Soviets. The Armenia official continues living with Soviet traditions, upbringing and perception. The same contemptuous attitude to the citizen, human, and human rights”-such opinion was expressed by the human rights defender, Vardan Harutyunyan, in the the conversation with Aravot.am, responding to our question of how he evaluates the human rights defense in Armenia as a human right defender.
Mr. Harutyunyan said, “We have a government formed in the result of rigged election, we have widespread discontent and despair that pushes people to emigration, we have political prisoners, we have restrictions in freedom of movement, organizing rallies, right to rallies, we have a judicial system that it not associated with justice, an authority that is corrupt and is living with a lord of manor psychology. In short, we have a situation that a normal person can not be satisfied with and should be quickly dismantled. Otherwise, we will have irrevocable losses.” To our question that reforms are underway in the justice sector, for which millions are spent, whether the human rights defender sees that, as a result of these reforms, the human rights in our country would be really protected, Mr. Harutyunyan replied, “To make reforms in justice and in any other sector, first of all, it requires not money, but a desire. If there is not the will to change something for the better, you may spend as much as you want. The result will be zero. Huge amounts of money is wastes, voluminal reports are published, however, no significant progress is recorded in the field of human rights. Not because they can not change something, but they do not have the desire and the will to change something. They do not feel the need to change something. Armenian authority and officials are pleased with the situation in the country. This is what they created. They created what they thought is necessary. This is their vision of the state of the 21st century, this is their vision of human and human rights of the 21st century. And, unless the ruling wheel of our country is in their hands, we will have the current situation.”
Nelly Babayan
