
RESOLUTION PASSED

The resolution on “The Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Armenia” outlined by John Prescott and Georges Columbier passed with a ratio 93:8:8 at PACE sitting.
PACE urges reforms and an open dialogue between political forces to allow Armenia to move forward
Strasbourg, 17.04.2008
In order to move forward, Armenia should urgently undertake reforms of the political system and of the electoral process, guarantee the independence of the judiciary, the public media and freedom of assembly, and stop the harassment of opposition media outlets, arbitrary arrests and politically motivated detentions, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) said today.
According to the resolution adopted, “the only way to allow the country to move forward with the above-mentioned urgently-needed reforms is the initiation of an open and constructive dialogue between political forces”, the parliamentarians said.
Following the proposals of the PACE rapporteurs on Armenia (Georges Colombier, France, EPP/CD, and John Prescott, United Kingdom, SOC), the parliamentarians listed a number of conditions for such a dialogue to start, notably the immediate opening of an independent inquiry into the events of 1 March (which resulted in 10 people killed and 200 injured), the urgent release of the persons detained on seemingly artificial and politically motivated charges and the revocation of the amendments recently adopted by the National Assembly to the Law on conducting meetings, assemblies, rallies and demonstrations, with immediate effect.
Unless these conditions are met and an open dialogue on the reforms mentioned is seriously engaged, “the credibility of Armenia as a member of the Council of Europe is put into doubt”, the parliamentarians said.
“The Assembly should therefore consider the possibility of suspending the voting rights of the Armenian delegation to the Assembly at the opening of its June 2008 part-session, if no considerable progress has been made on these requirements by then”, the resolution concludes.
Discussion
hay wrote:
immediate actions towards implementing democratic reforms will lead to escalation in the country, are councillors that clever or there is something else going on?
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The resolution on “The Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Armenia” outlined by John Prescott and Georges Columbier passed with a ratio 93:8:8 at PACE sitting.
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- 1879 Death of Chamik Aramyan (publisher) in Constantinople. He was born in 1820.
- 1904 Birth of Hrant G. Pastrmajian. He died in 1954.
- 1922 Aram Yerkanian and Arshavir Shirakian executed Behaeddin Shakir, the leader of the "special forces" and Jemal Azmi, former Governor of Trabizond, in Berlin. Both were active in implementing the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
- 1957 Twinning of Kirovakan (Vanadzor) and Batumi (Georgia).
- 1990 An International Scholars' Meeting titled: "The Armenian Genocide: History, Theory, Political Responsibility" and devoted to 75th Anniversary of the Armenian's Genocide, takes place in Yerevan. It lasts to April 21.
- 1997 The Legislative Assembly of New South Wales (Australia) adopts a decision to commemorate April 24 as a Memorial Day of the Armenian Genocide. It suggests to the Federal Australian Government to adopt a similar decision.
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