Former Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Ruben Melikyan does not wish to participate in the upcoming snap elections on December 9th. “I have never been involved in the political party system. I was in a discretionary position as Deputy Minister of Justice,” he said. When asked by reporters if he excludes the possibility in the future, Melikyan answered, “I don’t wish to make any exclusions.”
He said that he will be involved in legal activities in Yerevan. The work to create an appropriate structure for this is underway.
Regarding his resignation, Melikyan said that he feels his mission in that position was finished, and the new Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, will successfully carry out his work. “He is more associated with Artsakh than I am. He lost his father in the war, and as a result he has physical problems. I think he is the first Ombudsman to have problems with his vision. I don’t think there are any others in the world. He overcame many more obstacles than all of us have.”
Ruben Melikyan said that one of the biggest priorities of his work in Yerevan will be strengthening the Armenia-Artsakh legal connections. “I see such a gap in the new system in Armenia. I envision my role to be a connection between Armenia and Artsakh.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
