HUMAN RIGHTS TO BE EXTENDED
Support A1+!“Our national features are concordant with the European standards of human rights and freedoms and the European Charter. From our part should exert efforts to reach the real level of human rights and freedom in Armenia”, National Democratic Union head Arshak Sadoyan says.
His draft constitution accentuates the freedom of speech and right of expression. “People should have the right to express their will by means of national survey and so on», Arshak Sadoyan considers adding how easily fundamental freedoms are restricted to date, in part the law “On Marches, Demonstrations and rallies». In this view he offers to create a real mechanism calling to account the Constitution violators.
Arshak Sadoyan notes that the draft represented by him is based on the RA declaration on Human rights and freedoms as well as on the national features.
Author of another constitutional draft, deputy of RPA faction Grigor Khonjeyan stresses the domination of law and order. «The laws should correspond to the Constitution, however the law should be restricted by rights but not vice versa. «The peculiarity of our draft is that the rights and freedoms fixed by the Constitution are not exhaustive and cannot be interpreted apart of other common human rights and freedoms.”
The RPA bans death penalty. “Freedom is an institute of utmost importance and the Constitution should fix certain cases of deprivation of liberty. It is our principal position», Grigor Khonjeyan says adding that everyone should have the right to protect his own rights. The RPA established the right of expression without clarifying however what mechanisms will secure the freedom of speech. «If mass media come to agreement protecting their rights, the RPA is ready to insert this item in its constitution draft», Grigor Khonjeyan says.
The coalition draft guarantees the freedom of press and other mass media. «The order of the mass media activities is fixed by the law», it says. However the Venice Committee suggests creation of independent broadcast body, the members of which are elected democratically and publicly.
On the whole the second chapter of the Constitution was replenished with 8 new articles mostly imposed by the commitments to CE, these being the cancellation of death penalty, establishment of Ombudsman's institute, appeal to international structures for protection of human rights and freedoms after the inner-state means of protection are exhausted, etc.
Diana Markosyan
