On November 21 RA NA President Mr Hovik Abrahamyan received the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Mr Thomas Hammarberg. Ambassador Mr Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia at the Council of Europe, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Ms Sylvia Zehe, Assistant of the Commissioner Ms Bojana Urumova and other officials attended the meeting.

Welcoming Mr Hammarberg’s visit to Armenia the NA President expressed satisfaction for the effective cooperation between the Commissioner and his Office. Mr Abrahamyan assured that the authorities headed by the NA President had political will and wish to overcome all the obstacles. It was noted that one of the undertaken steps in the direction of the fulfillment of the proposals of 1609 and 1620 resolutions is the creation of fact-finding group. After meeting with the NA Ad-Hoc Inquiry Committee on March Events Abrahamyan envisaged to meet the members of the fact-finding group, aiming to support their activity.

Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Mr Thomas Hammarberg, who had several meetings, including also the members of the fact-finding group, noted that the creation of the group was an expected and positive step. He highlighted the success and non-politicization of the activity of the fact-finding group and believed that there were all preconditions: the political forces in the group were presented balanced, the members were lawyers and had power to make their conclusion without mediation. The cornerstone of their success, according to Mr Hammarberg, will be the precise disclosure of the sequence and chronology of the March events. Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe highlighted the willingness of the state structures to cooperate with the fact-finding group, as they might be repeating questions of the NA Ad-hoc Committee. Mr Hammarberg also highlighted the cooperation of the NA Ad-hoc Committee and the fact-finding group. At the meeting the fact-finding group touched upon the issue of having the office in the building of the National Assembly, which could make difficulties in getting anonymous information, but Mr Hammarberg believed that the issue should not be exaggerated and such meetings would be possible to organize outside the National Assembly. Mr Hammarberg also touched upon the issues of the prisoners and the issues of the trial proceedings, in particular, the investigation of the case 7 with the availability of 41 volumes he expressed concern that due to objective reasons it would extend the proceedings, and if a decision of amnesty or pardonbe made, it could be used before the trial, which will promote the reduction of the public tension too.

NA President Mr Hovik Abrahamyan does not see any substantiated reason of change for the place of the fact-finding group: there are problems of offices in the National Assembly, but proceeding from the importance of the issue offices of the NA employees were provided to the group. According to his assessment, the important thing is the success of the activity of the group. Mr Abrahamyan shares Mr Hammarberg’s concern that the trial proceedings can be extended, as the lawyers must be able to get acquainted with the case, nevertheless, December 1 is the deadline for that reason. It is obvious that the March events were not favourable at all for the authorities, though the radical opposition made all efforts to persuade the public and the international structures that their organizer was the authorities. NA President re-affirmed his determination of seeing completely disclosed the March events and the necessity of punishing those guilty irrespective of their posts, excluding the people’s conviction for their political views. NA President assured Mr Hammarberg that the provision of transparency of all processes was very important in order to have clarified everything for the public. In this issue he highlighted Mr Hammarberg’s support, noting that the problem of Armenia’s authorities is the continuation of democratic reforms and seeing Armenia among the democratic countries. Referring to the possible decision of amnesty or pardon the NA President noted that before the trial proceedings the president’s such step could not be understandable because it was not clear for what reason a man was pardoned, if it was not disclosed what crime he had committed. Nevertheless, the Armenian authorities in reality are concerned to settle this problem, as there are numerous problems, in particular, the world financial crisis and the overcoming of their consequences, the necessity of continuation of the reforms, the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem and the provision of regional security. Fully supporting the RA President’s foreign policy Mr Abrahamyan believes that the National Assembly must promote the solution of inner political problems within its authorities.

During the meeting other issues of mutual importance were discussed too.

Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Mr Thomas Hammarberg, who is on special visit in Armenia for assessing the investigation being carried out on the occasion of the prisoners’ state, who were arrested as a consequence of the March 1-2 events on November 21 met in the National Assembly with Mr Samvel Nikoyan, Chairman of the Ad-hoc Inquiry Committee into the Events Occurred on 1-2 March 2008 in Yerevan and Their Reasons, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Ms Sylvia Zehe, Assistant of the Commissioner Ms Bojana Urumova Ambassador Mr Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia at the Council of Europe attended the meeting.

Welcoming the creation of the experts’ fact-finding group Mr Hammarberg highlighted the cooperation of the Ad-Hoc Committee and the group. It was noted that the activity of the group was assistance to the works of the committee, as expert-lawyers were involved in the group. Mr Hammarberg also considered important the confidence of the public towards the activity of the fact-finding group. It was noted that there were such precedents in different countries when several committees studied the same events. The Commissioner opined that the term of the committee’s activity should be extended until the fact-finding group finished its works.

Mr Nikoyan highlighted the creation of the fact-finding group and expressed willingness to cooperate closely. He welcomed the opposition’s participation in the group’s works. It was noted that the committee did a huge amount of work: it has all necessary documents on March morning events, it has information and is ready to express distinctly its view on those events, but as a fact-finding was created the committee found expedient to wait, not excluding the possibility that during the works of the fact-finding group a new fact could emerge. Mr Nikoyan noted that there were difficulties in clarifying, specifying the circumstances of casualties, expecting in that issue the assistance of the fact-finding group.

At the meeting other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed.