PACE will continue monitoring
In a resolution on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today welcomed the general amnesty adopted on 19 June, under which most, if not all, of the persons deprived of their liberty in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008 will be released. With this measure, the authorities have complied with a crucial demand of the Assembly in its Resolution 1643 (2009), and have given a clear indication of their willingness to overcome the political crisis that ensued after the Presidential election of February 2008. The Assembly will, however, follow the developments with regard to the remaining cases.
The Assembly regrets, however, the breakdown of the work of the independent expert group to establish the facts in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008 as a result of tensions between its members and the politicising of its work. PACE considers that an independent, impartial and credible investigation into these events is still necessary, and therefore reaffirms its demand that such an investigation be conducted in line with the criteria outlined by the Assembly, notwithstanding the breakdown of the fact-finding group.
Furthermore, noting that undue restrictions are still placed on the organisation of rallies, the Assembly reiterated its call for the authorities to respect the principle of freedom of assembly in practice, and monitor the implementation of the amended law on rallies and demonstrations.
Given the numerous allegations of widespread fraud during the election of the Yerevan City Council on 31 May 2009, and the fact that public trust in the electoral process is still very low in Armenia, PACE also stressed that electoral reform should be a priority for the authorities.
During the parliamentary debate, the PACE co-rapporteurs on the monitoring of Armenia, Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), reported on progress made by the Armenian authorities towards compliance with the demands of the Assembly, in particular important changes to the provisions of the Criminal Code and the initiation of several reforms, culminating in an amnesty. While Armenia has taken a decisive step towards the normalisation of political life, these achievements should not be seen as the end of the process.The Assembly therefore invited its Monitoring Committee to provide full support for democratic consolidation in Armenia, in the framework of its regular monitoring procedure.
