On June 6, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan, received representatives of several civil society organizations. The meeting was attended by Ms. Araks Melkonyan, Chairperson of the Protection of Rights without Borders NGO, Ms. Sona Ayvazyan, Executive Director of the Transparency International Anticorruption Center NGO, Ms. Isabella Sargsyan, Human Rights Program Director at the Eurasia Partnership Foundation, as well as Ms. Genya Petrosyan, Director of the Law Development and Protection Foundation.
During the discussion, reference was made to a number of issues related to the protection of human rights, including electoral processes.
Ms. Anahit Manasyan noted that throughout the pre-election campaign she had repeatedly referred to the application of criminal liability mechanisms in the context of electoral processes, emphasizing that such mechanisms must be applied in accordance with a unified logic, excluding selective approaches and the minimal impression of “discretionary justice”.
The need to improve the public communication tools of state bodies in this regard was also emphasized.
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The Human Rights Defender also referred to the issue of the extensive use of detention as a preventive measure and the fact that, from a systemic perspective, the issue continues to remain problematic.
Ms. Anahit Manasyan also emphasized the crucial role of civil society in strengthening human rights values and promoting the rule of law.
Particular attention was paid to the importance of combating prohibited types of speech through appropriate mechanisms.
At the end of the meeting, the Human Rights Defender and the representatives of civil society emphasized the importance of continued cooperation aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of human rights protection mechanisms.
