RA Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan’s December 10 speech at Human Rights EXPO 2011

Dear guests,

With the aim of celebrating the International Human Rights Day, we have initiated this exhibition, which differs from other expo's due to the fact that we are exhibiting not our success and achievements, but stressing the difficulties, failures, pains and acute problems of our society.

Now I’m not going to speak about child beggars, people in extreme poverty, abused women, a prisoner or a military serviceman who is inhumanly treated, a member of a minority group who has been subjected to discriminatory treatment, a homeless and vulnerable refugee, the unauthorized home detention of a disabled citizen.

About all of these individuals and circumstances, our booths which will be opening in several minutes, as well as the wallpaper, films and publications presented in those booths, will provide you with much more thorough and impressive information.

Summing up the year 2011 we would like to present some positive and negative developments from the point of view of the Human Rights Defender proficiency.

Many of you are aware of my public initiative of requesting the initiation of disciplinary proceedings for 3 judges. Yesterday the Justice Minister expressed his solidarity to respective highest judicial body and I received final rejections with regard to all the three cases. This is my biggest disappointment in 2011.

Since the independence of Armenia, up to and including this year, the sharpest and most challenging structural obstacle to human rights protection has been the lack of a fair trial. Human rights protection in any democratic country is ultimately the responsibility of the judiciary.

Consuming all my legislative authorities to influence judicial reform and current possibilities arising from them, I invoke my compatriots to highlight especially the right of a fair trial in upcoming political processes.

As the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia I’m asking all political forces not only to present the current situation of judicial authorities (everyone is aware of this and everyone talks about this) in public debates of upcoming election period, but to present to voters practical, realistic, short-term and long-term projects of having a fair court.

Continuing to sum up the developments for 2011 I would like to inform that that most part of the grounded complaints addressed to our institution refer to the wrong calculation of a pension and deprivation from the right of getting a family pension.

The highest number of positive solutions to the complaints addressed to us were given from the RA Ministry of Defense. Our legislative proposals were mostly accepted by the RA Ministry of Health and the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

The most improper and unacceptable response to our public criticism we received from the RA Ministry of Education and Science. However, we positively evaluate the fact that the Ministry, even after such a response, undertook regulation of the formation of textbooks’ evaluation thematic committees.

The greatest support from State bodies was our financial bid’s uphold by the National Assembly during 2012 budget discussion. With this regard I would like to express my special thanks to standing committees presidents Mr. Aram Safaryan and Mr. Gagik Minasyan.

For promoting our financial independence and for making our extra-budget independent from the RA Government’s confirmation we are grateful to the RA Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and RA the Finance Minister.

For toll-free provision and operation of the Human Rights Defender’s 116 Hot Line I would like to express my appreciation to the Public Services Regulatory Commission and “ArmenTel” CJSC.

During the «Civil Society» forum held in June 2011 memorandums were signed between the Human Rights Defender and more than 85 NGOs. I am grateful to all of those NGOs, which have been by our side all this time and today also.

For professional and material support to our institution during 2011 I would like to express my thankfulness to the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia and the European Union Advisory Group, United Nations in Armenia, US Agency for International Development, Counterpart International Armenia, OSCE Office in Yerevan, Armenian branch of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, World Vision Armenia, which helped us to significantly enlarge our activity and implement human rights protection and promotion programmes.

Last but not the least, I am thankful to those forty-six humane and diligent people of my staff, who help thousands of our applicants and who has made this event possible today.