“I am worried that the conference was canceled due to worries for the safety of its participants,” UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Clement Nyaletsossi Voule told reporters regarding the LGBT conference that was to take place in Yerevan, but was canceled. “That worries me greatly. I spoke of this issue in meetings with Armenian authorities. I call upon them to initiate steps in order to avoid such instances. If an organization cannot carry out meetings in positive conditions, then the state must uphold the participants’ safety,” the official said, implying that the Armenian government periodically makes statements regarding freedom of speech.
Then the UN special rapporteur mentioned how he has information about how Armenia limits the opportunities and rights provided to NGOs dedicated to the protection of sexual and religious minorities. Overall, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule mentioned that such NGOs face challenges worldwide. “Some demands put NGOs in a worse situation than business owners. Registering an NGO is easy and fast, but NGOs in the regions complain about postponements. It’s important that organizations which represent the citizens are able to make use of opportunities provided by the state.”
According to the UN special rapporteur, ways to receive information about state-sponsored opportunities for NGOs are limited. “State-sponsored opportunities themselves are also limited, but making use of them is important for community NGOs. Armenia must create the kind of environment that allows NGOs to operate without interference.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
