07.2006 - Source: Freedom House

According to human rights ombudsperson, large amount of complaints filed with her office concern violations of due process of law ("Countries at the Crossroads 2006") [ID 17915]

"The country's human rights ombudsperson, Larisa Alaverdian, said in July 2005 that a large proportion of the citizen complaints filed with her office concern violations of due process of law. She said many Armenians believe that court rulings against them and their relatives are based on testimony extracted under duress. An annual report by the ombudsperson's office said that the local courts' bias in favor of state prosecutors is "constantly evident" and that the law enforcement agencies rarely investigate torture allegations.9 Law enforcement agencies are often eager to keep criminal suspects in pretrial detention, making it easier for them to extract "confessions.""

Document(s): Open document

07.2006 - Source: Freedom House

Office of the Human Rights Ombudsperson created 2003; Ombudsperson Alaverdian complained lack of legal powers in 2005 ("Countries at the Crossroads 2006") [ID 18747]

"The creation in 2003 of Armenia's Office of the Human Rights Defender gave citizens an important new avenue for seeking justice. Despite having been appointed by the president, Ombudsperson Alaverdian has proven quite vocal in condemning and tackling abuses committed by various government bodies. Her relations with the government markedly deteriorated over the course of 2005. Alaverdian complained in July 2005 about a lack of legal powers, saying that her office is able to look into only a fraction of citizen petitions against courts and law enforcement bodies."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Human Rights Ombudsperson published report on country's human rights record; complaints about government interference limiting ability to implement recommendations ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46111],  [ID 17228]

"The human rights ombudsman office suggested remedies to responsible government agencies in response to reported human rights violations and published a report on the country's human rights record. The country's first human rights ombudswoman complained that government interference, including a constitutional court ruling to limit her powers, limited her ability to implement recommendations.During the year the ombudswoman unveiled the government's first human rights website and released a series ofreports of human rights complaints received by the ombudsman's office—around 1,500-the majority of which involved the police, labor and social affairs ministry, and municipalities. The ombudswoman said staffing and budgetary constraints hampered her ability to respond to the complaints. In 2004 the OSCE criticized the ombudsman's office as suffering from internal disorganization and a perceived lack of independence from the government during its first year of operation. The ombudswoman acknowledged the report's recommendation to improve the office's operations. The ombudswoman complained that a May constitutional court ruling—which found that the office did not have constitutional authority to interfere in ongoing court cases, request information about ongoing court cases, or make recommendations to the court—considerably restricted her powers."

Document(s): Open document

17.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Armen Harutiunian, a longtime aide to President Kocharian, elected as human rights ombudsman in second vote ("Kocharian Adviser Elected Ombudsman") [#44638],  [ID 2814]

Document(s): Open document

16.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Opposition in parliament demands additional safeguards against possible manipulation of National Assembly's second attempt to elect new human rights ombudsman ("Opposition Demands 'Transparent' Vote On Ombudsman") [#44636],  [ID 2815]

Document(s): Open document

14.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Governing parties stepped up efforts to elect new human rights ombudsman after being apparently scolded by President Kocharian for the unexpected rejection of his candidate ("Armenian Coalition Hastens Election Of New Ombudsman") [#44634],  [ID 2816]

Document(s): Open document

09.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

One day after endorsement of government loyalist as new human rights ombudsman failed, elections are reiterated; Armen Harutiunian is again nominated for the post ("Parliament Restarts Debate On New Armenian Ombudsman") [#44056],  [ID 2817]

Document(s): Open document

08.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

President failed to appoint one of his legal advisers as new human rights ombudsman in place of prominent government critic; his candidate, Armen Harutiunian, did not receive required three-fifths majority in parliament ("Parliament Fails To Elect New Human Rights Defender") [#44050],  [ID 2818]

Document(s): Open document

06.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

New human rights official and former legal advisor to President Robert Kocharian indicated his loyalty to government ("New Armenian Ombudsman Signals Government Loyalty") [#43645],  [ID 2819]

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03.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Larisa Alaverdian, the recently sacked human rights ombudsperson, was denied to present a report detailing her activities last year to the National Assembly ("Ex-Human Rights Defender Denied Parliament Access") [#43641],  [ID 2820]

Document(s): Open document

01.02.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Larisa Alaverdian, Armenia’s first human rights ombudsperson, had to step down; she insists that she held the post in the course of last year and therefore has the right to report to the National Assembly; she had already issued such a report last year that criticized the Armenian authorities’ human rights record ("Sacked Ombudsperson To Release Human Rights Report") [#43628],  [ID 2821]

Document(s): Open document

19.01.2006 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Human rights office closed by the government; observers believe closure has to do with bitter row between ombudsman Alaverdian and the President over human rights records ("Human Rights Standoff in Armenia") [#42651],  [ID 2822]

Document(s): Open document

13.01.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Government suspends work of Armenia's Office of Human Rights Ombudsperson and closes down its Yerevan premises ("Armenian human rights body 'suspended' amid controversy") [#42714],  [ID 2823]

Document(s): Open document

10.01.2006 - Source: Armenialiberty

Opposition parties urge parliament to reinstate dismissed government critic Larisa Alaverdian as Armenia's first huam rights ombudsperson ("Opposition bloc backs sacked ombudsperson") [#42709],  [ID 2824]

Document(s): Open document

01.2006 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Powers of ombudsperson for human rights curtailed; police confiscated computer from ombudsperson's office ("World Report 2006") [#42310],  [ID 17664]

"In May 2005, the government successfully applied to the Constitutional Court to curtail the powers of the ombudsperson to access court documents, arguing that the powers breached the principle of the independence of the courts. The decision came after the ombudsperson released her first annual report, which criticized the government for its human rights record. Later in May, security services reportedly confiscated a computer from the office of the ombudsperson that had confidential information about people who had made complaints to the office; ostensibly the computer was seized as evidence against an employee of the office previously arrested and accused of taking a bribe. Larisa Alaverdian, the ombudsperson, claimed that the security services did not have a warrant to take the computer, and that they used information it contained to harass a law firm that had helped two individuals to file complaints to her office."

Document(s): Open document

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

First Human Rights Ombudsperson appointed in Febraury 2004; independence questionable, office suffered internal disorganisation ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29491],  [ID 2825]

"In February, the President appointed the country's first Human Rights Ombudsman, amid questions by numerous human rights NGOs and the Council of Europe about the ombudsman's independence from the Government. During the year, the Human Rights Ombudsman created a public working group focused on securing the rights of minority religious groups. Local organizations attended the working group meetings.

However, according to a report released in December, which was sponsored by the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), the ombudsman's office suffered from internal disorganization and a perceived lack of independence from the Government during its first year of operation. The ombudsman acknowledged the report's recommendation to improve the office's operations."

Document(s): Open document