Today, a two-day international conference dedicated to the ten-year anniversary of the Human Rights Defender as National Preventive Mechanism was launched in Yerevan. Guests from 50 countries and international organizations arrived in Yerevan to attend the Conference.
“The Human Rights Defender as National Preventive Mechanism intervenes as a third party in the proceeding pending before the European Court of Human Rights against Armenia, provides special submissions to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers as independent assessment of the execution of ECtHR judgments by Armenia. We submit amicus briefs to the Constitutional Court that are also aimed at protecting human rights in the field of torture prevention.” said RA Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan in his opening remarks.
The aim of the two-day conference is to present the achievements and experience of Armenian NPM’s ten-year activities, as well as to discuss the challenges that NPMs of different countries face.
“During previous ten years a number of systemic and individual issues in the places of deprivation of liberty were revealed as a result of constant and initiative work by the representatives of respective department of the Office of the Human Rights Defender. These issues were presented in annual and ad hoc reports of the Human Rights Defender as National Preventive Mechanism, as well as in official letters addressed to state bodies.”, said RA Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan during his speech. He highly appreciated the cooperation with the Defender and outlined, that in last year some criminal cases for apparent crimes were instituted as a result of monitoring carried out by the Human Rights Defender as National Preventive Mechanism.
Acting RA Minister of Justice also mentioned that an atmosphere of constructive and human-centered work has been established between the institutions from which people and their rights benefit.
The former Human Rights Defender Armen Harutyunyan who attended the Conference stressed the importance of the fact that the Council of Europe considers the activities of Arman Tatoyan exemplary, which shows the level of development of the institution.
The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Natalia Voutova, the Head of the EU delegation to Armenia, Ambassador H.E. Piotr Switalski and the Head of the Regional Team for Europe of the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture Mari Amos also made opening speeches during the event.
The two-day international conference will serve as a platform for exchange of experience between National Human Rights Institutions, National Preventive Mechanisms of foreign countries, as well as local and international well-known organizations.