PACE co-rapporteurs urge immediate reform in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net -
The Armenian authorities need to implement the reforms recommended by the ad hoc Committee of the National Assembly of Armenia on the events of 1 and 2 March 2008, without further delay, concluded the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) and Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD), following an exchange of views in the PACE Monitoring Committee last week.



“The reforms recommended by the ad hoc Committee, in combination with those contained in the relevant PACE resolutions, if implemented in good faith, could comprehensively address the circumstances that led to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008,” the co-rapporteurs said.



They stressed that these recommendations therefore needed to be implemented without further delay, especially those related to the reform of the police - including the establishment of an independent oversight and complaints body - and the long overdue reform of the electoral code.



The co-rapporteurs announced that they would send a letter to the Armenian Parliament asking it to provide the Monitoring Committee, before its meeting on 17 March 2010 in Paris, with a clear timetable for these reforms.



“On the basis of the discussions in the Monitoring Committee we will then visit Yerevan this spring to discuss the establishment of a clear roadmap for the implementation of these reforms,” the co-rapporteurs said.



In addition to the roadmap, the co-rapporteurs also intend to raise the issue of the sentencing of Nikol Pashinian as well as other cases where they have sought clarification from the authorities.



“A number of issues following the events of 1 and 2 March still need to be clarified and addressed”, the co-rapporteurs said, stressing the continuing importance and need for the monitoring of political developments by the Assembly and other relevant bodies of the Council of Europe, PACE communication unit said.