PACE won't deprive Armenia of voting rights

PanARMENIAN.Net - With 3 votes 'for', 141 'against' and 5 abstentions, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has decided not to suspend Armenia's voting rights, the press office of the Armenian delegation to PACE told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.



Declaring it "unacceptable" that persons could be charged and deprived of their liberty for political motivation in Armenia in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on December 17, 2008 recommended suspending the voting rights of Armenia's eight-member delegation to the Assembly until the authorities "have clearly demonstrated their political will to resolve this issue."



The co-rapporteurs visited the country earlier this month, with a view to reporting back to the Committee on any progress with respect to the release of these persons.