ArmInfo. A special commission, which will be created under the Public Council, will study the issue of human rights violations during the electoral processes in post- Soviet Armenia. The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, at its session on December 4, in the second and final reading, introduced amendments to the law "On the Public Council".
Presenting the project, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Dadunts noted that since September 21, 1991, massive human rights violations have regularly occurred during elections in Armenia, accompanied by the persistent presence of systemic and political corruption in the country, which has been noted in a number of international reports. The political changes that took place in the republic in 2018 were the result of the sense of injustice accumulated in society as a result of these phenomena. The strategy of judicial and legal reforms approved on July 21, 2022, establishes the need to apply transitional justice tools to study cases of violation of citizens' rights that have taken place in Armenia since independence and collect facts on them. For these purposes, it is necessary to form a structure that should have such functions that will allow studying and mapping cases of massive and regular human rights violations during electoral processes that have taken place in Armenia since 1991, as well as their causes, submitting proposals for the restoration and protection of violated rights and preventing their recurrence.
As a result of the constitutional amendments of 2015, the Public Council was established in 2018, which operates as an advisory body to the RA Government. The main objectives of the Public Council are to represent the interests of various segments of society, promote the participation of civil society in public administration processes, promote the formation of mutual trust, dialogue and partnership between the government, public administration bodies and civil society institutions, as well as the formation of mutual trust, dialogue and partnership between Armenia and the Diaspora on common national issues.
It is proposed to form a commission under the Public Council to collect facts about violations of fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. At present, according to the RA Law "On the Public Council", the functions of the PC include organizing public hearings or discussions on issues of public interest, as well as issues related to the most important areas of public life, conducting public examination of current laws and other regulatory legal acts, state programs, strategies, concepts and submitting conclusions, including recommendations for making changes and additions to them. Now one more function will be added to these functions - studying the facts of human rights violations from September 21, 1991 to 2023. The task of the commission will include identifying facts of human rights violations during elections, recognizing and restoring the rights of victims, implementing positive socio- political changes.
Thus, the commission under the OS will become an institution that complements criminal justice. At the same time, it will not be a judicial body, will not establish criminal liability or apply sanctions. If there is evidence useful for the investigation, it can help the work of the courts. The OS commission will have to focus on identifying fundamental human rights violations during the elections.