On May 12 Deputy Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Mr. Rafik Petrosyan received the delegation of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). During the meeting they discussed the results of the project on “Public Monitoring on the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly.”

OSCE/ODIHR Deputy head of Human Rights Department Ms. Christine Mardirossian said that the aim of the visit was to clarify the role of the civil society in the sphere of the protection of human rights and make the OSCE support more effective in this issue. She said that in this context meeetings are regularly organized with the representatives of NGOs, international organizations and state administration system. Ms. Mardirossian was interested in the relations between the civil society and authorities.

After presenting the activities of the committee the Deputy Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Mr. Rafik Petrosyan said that the law On Holding Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations was amended after March 2008 events, when public tension was created. According to him, the parliament should mitigate the tension created between the authorities and opposition and re-establish an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and it was succeeded. Mr. Rafik Petrosyan ensured that the steps taken by the authorities (establishment of the Ad-hoc Inquiry Committee into the Events Occurred on 1-2 March 2008 in Yerevan and Their Reasons of the National Assembly, Fact finding group, Public Council) promoted the settlement of the created situation and provision of tolerance. Mr. Petrosyan stressed that recently the freedom of the assembly is fully applied. According to the Deputy Chairman, the civil society participates in the creation of the draft laws, parliamentary hearings are organized, and representatives of society also participate in the discussions.

During the meeting other issues were also discussed.