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“When carrying out its activities, in particular, during the investigation of crimes, the Police should be free from political interference, act professionally, be a professional organization, protect the society and do it in accordance with the principles of ethics and integrity, efficiently, respectfully and in accordance with the law. One of the key means to ensure this is to have a political, but at the same time civil representation within the Government,” the RA Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan noted during the parliamentary hearings on the topic “The establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the importance of civil control” convened on July 12.

The HRD emphasized that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Minister will protect the police from political pressures and bear political responsibility on the one hand, and on the other hand will control and bear political responsibility for the general quality of the police work, transparency, accountability, service development, national security.

Welcoming the organization of parliamentary hearings, Kristinne Grigoryan noted that providing such a platform for public discussion of such large-scale changes gives inclusiveness and legitimacy to the process. According to her, when making such a structural change, every country should take into account the form of governance, traditions and culture, as well as the real need that dictates the need for a solution. “Internal security issues cannot be considered separately from external security challenges in any country. After the 44-day war in our country, the unique security environment that followed it and is still ongoing will directly dictate principles for the formation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the Defender said.

In her words, the police, as a professional service, should have a mechanism to protect against political persecution. According to the Human Rights Defender, the Ministry is the shield of protection against political persecution. She presented the formation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a structure for ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms, modernizing police activity and ensuring the efficiency of the service. The Defender highlighted the creation of the Migration and Citizenship Service within the Ministry of Internal Affairs from the point of view of making migration flows more effective, which will unite the Passport and Visa Department, as well as the Migration Service.

The RA Deputy Minister of Justice Arpine Sargsyan referred to the reforms of police sector, the proposed model of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the fundamental principles, the functional-structural and control issues of the structure. “We will have three major services under the roof of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: Police, Rescue and Migration Services,” Arpine Sargsyan said, adding that the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will lead to the introduction of an effective toolkit of parliamentary and civil control. According to her, the overarching goal of the reforms of police sector is the formation of the image of a new technically equipped, professional, well-behaved policeman who faces modern challenges, and the creation of a new police in the Republic of Armenia.