CoE Commissioner for Human Rights recommends Armenia to adopt a  robust anti-discrimination framework

ArmInfo.In a letter to the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, published today, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty recommends that Armenia adopts a comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation.

According to a statement on the CoE website, the Commissioner  welcomed Armenia's progress, including the new sectoral legislation  and guarantees in the Criminal Code, as well as the proactive  engagement by the Human Rights Defender. Noting that the Ministry of  Justice is preparing a draft law on the Prevention of and Protection  Against Discrimination, the Commissioner invited the Prime Minister  to seize the opportunity to create a robust anti-discrimination  framework that meets international standards and the needs of a  diverse society. This should be done in consultation with civil  society and international partners, including the Council of Europe. 

Commissioner O'Flaherty highlighted several issues necessary to  ensure that the future law fully aligns with Council of Europe  standards. "It is important to provide the Human Rights Defender with  a clearly defined mandate as an equality body, with the competencies,  powers, and resources necessary to effectively combat discrimination  and promote equality. Other issues include: ensuring legal certainty  in the protection of human rights for LGBTI persons; enabling  organizations with a legitimate interest to bring or intervene in  anti-discrimination cases; and addressing the issue of hate speech,"  the Commissioner's statement published on the CoE website reads.