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SECRETARY GENERAL WARNS OF ANTI-DEMOCRATIC DECLINE IN ARMENIA AND APPEALS FOR DIALOGUE

Politics

Following a meeting with the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe yesterday evening, Secretary General Walter Schwimmer expressed his concern about reported violence in Armenia.

“There is incomplete and conflicting news of excessive use of force by the police, of arrests - including of members of parliament - and of a media blackout”, said Walter Schwimmer. “This confirms one thing: if there was complete freedom of the media, we would have a clear picture of the situation”, he added.

Recalling the strong position taken by the Parliamentary Assembly against the use of arbitrary procedures for detention, as foreseen in the Administrative Code, the Secretary General said that such detentions would not be acceptable.

The Secretary General of the 45-member human rights organisation warned against an anti-democratic decline in Armenia. “In a democracy, people are free to gather and express their views – even if they are critical of the President or of the government”, said Mr Schwimmer. “I call on the Armenian authorities to guarantee all human rights which are protected under the European Convention on Human Rights”.

“Today’s problems are partly caused by the lack of modern legislation, which would be possible to introduce before changing the Constitution. For this and for other reasons, Armenia has already lost precious time for reform”, he continued.

“I appeal to all political forces to refrain from violence, to resume dialogue and to focus on democratic reform”, the Secretary General concluded.