UN members recommend human rights reforms to Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Civil society activist and filmmaker Hovhannes Ishkhanyan announced on Facebook that 98 UN member states have presented recommendations to Armenia aimed at improving human rights.

According to Ishkhanyan, the recommendations are based on reports by Armenian civil society organizations. Armenia has until September 2025 to respond whether it accepts these recommendations.

Some of the proposals came from a coalition involving Hayakve and four organizations: the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Armenian Center for Political Rights, the Effective Governance Foundation, and Eye for an Eye community of documentarians.

“In our press conference, we presented detailed information—particularly how the Human Rights Defender’s recent report ignored major rights violations over the past five years in Armenia. We also discussed how Armenia evades addressing the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Artsakh by Azerbaijan. We shared the rights violations covered in our reports, our future plans, and the specific recommendations issued by the countries.

Every national loss has coincided with human rights violations. Had the state fulfilled its positive obligation to respect and protect rights, those losses would not have occurred,” he wrote.

The recommendations focus on civil and political rights and were proposed by a diverse set of countries:

• Australia: urged revision of the 2021 Civil Code to eliminate disproportionate penalties for defamation and reduce long-term detention.
• Austria: recommended addressing police abuse and limited access to justice by improving rights protections.
• Bangladesh: called for impartial, timely investigations into torture cases.
• Belgium: suggested building law enforcement capacity to investigate violations against human rights defenders.
• Brazil: encouraged stricter accountability for torture, mistreatment, and excessive force.
• Cambodia: emphasized the need for rule of law and judicial independence.
• Colombia and Costa Rica: highlighted protection of the right to peaceful assembly, especially for rights defenders.
• Estonia and Finland: advised preventing strategic lawsuits that hinder journalists and activists.
• Germany: recommended strengthening judicial independence and safeguarding freedom of expression.
• Latvia: urged creation of a safe environment for journalists and media workers in line with international standards.
• Lithuania: proposed encouraging freedom of association without fear or retaliation.
• Chile: emphasized reducing court overload to improve access to justice.
• Norway: called for immediate, effective investigation of attacks on rights defenders and accountability for perpetrators.
• Poland: advocated uncovering and punishing police abuse while raising human rights awareness among officers.
• Romania: urged expanded protection for rights defenders and a safer space for civil society.

These observations underscore the urgent need for significant improvements in Armenia’s human rights landscape.