There are a number of innovations in the annual report of the Human Rights Defender (HRD) for 2024. Besides the problems being presented traditional, almost 3 dozen problems were presented during the reporting period, which had not been presented before.
The RA Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan said this during the extraordinary sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs convened on April 21.
Anahit Minasyan presented the annual report on the activities of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia in 2024, the state of protection of human rights and freedoms, and the annual report on the activities of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia as a national preventive mechanism in 2024.
Summarizing the main issues regarding to the protection of human rights in Armenia, the rapporteur, in particular, touched upon issues related to the protection of children, national minorities, women’s rights, and the activities of journalists, which were the core of the HRD’s attention.
She considered the volume of cases of violence against children and the issues related to them to be of concern, which, according to her, should be properly addressed. In the opinion of the Human Rights Defender, the Republic of Armenia should have a clear concept and strategy for preventing violence against children. Anahit Manasyan informed that the issue was so important that at the end of the previous year the Human Rights Defender issued a separate report on the theme.
During the year 2024, the Human Rights Defender continued her activities in the sphere of the rights of national minorities.
The Human Rights Defender emphasized the importance of not only protecting rights, but also promoting them, from the perspective of having a proper system for guaranteeing the rights of national minorities. The latter implies the development and implementation of special methodology and structures aimed at preserving and developing the elements of national minority identity: language, religion, culture, traditions, as well as ensuring effective participation in public life.
In the context of boosting the rights of national minorities, Anahit Manasyan underscored the right to preserve the language.
The RA Human Rights Defender answered the deputies’ questions and gave clarifications.
The Committee had taken the report into consideration.
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