Civil Society Institute Monthly Report – May 2010

Monitoring

• On May 31, June2 and 3, CSI President Arman Danielyan, and Board Chairman Artak Kirakosyan observed actions of banning the access of an opposition group to the Liberty Square. On June 3 CSI released a statement about this situation; http://www.hra.am/en/point-of-view/2010/06/03/statement.
• On May 25 and May 31 Arman Danielyan, CSI President and Head of the Public Monitoring Group over the Penitentiary Institutions under the Ministry of Justice, has implemented a number of visits to the penitentiary institutions and monitored the process of food preparation, its quality and supply.
• Within the framework of "Protection of juveniles in conflict and in contact with the law" project criminal cases of 17 juveniles were monitored in the courts of Yerevan, Vanadzor and Gyumri. During May, 26 trial sessions were held and 6 cases were finished, about which monitors presented their final reports. The other cases are still ongoing.

 

Meetings and Business Travel

• On May 10, 2010 CSI President Arman Danielyan participated in the International Conference "Cooperation between Police and Social Partners in Prevention of Addictions and Crime of Children and Youth" in Lithuania, which was organized by Commission of Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Addiction of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius City Municipality, Vilnius County Police Headquarters, Public Organization Vilnius Police Club for Children and Youth. After the conference the participants were introduced to the Lithuanian experience, they visited police clubs, school for children with antisocial behavior, as well as to the juvenile prison.
• On 25 May, Chairman of the CSI Board and Secretary General of International Federation for human rights (FIDH) Artak Kirakosyan participated in the FIDH Executive Body session in France.
• On 12-13 May Artak Kirakosyan participated in the Armenian-Turkish Ani Dialog core group meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia.
• CSI held a meeting with the successors of several victims of human rights violations. One of the cases related to the death of a conscript in the army. The other 3 cases referred to the deaths at hospital.

 

Public lectures

• On May 11, Artak Shakaryan, Turkologust, had a lecture with students on Turkey's foreign policy

http://www.csi.am/am/conflict-transformation/2010/05/11/meeting  

• On May 21, Aris Nalchi, the executive secretary of Agos newspaper (Istanbul) led discussion on the latest political developments of the Turkish-Armenian relations and its' discource in Istanbul.

• On May 25, Stepan Safaryan, NA deputy discussed with the youth the Turkish-Armenian Protocols

http://www.csi.am/en/conflict-transformation/2010/05/27/meeting

 

Interviews

http://hetq.am/am/interview/a-kirakosyan-2/#more-33042

http://cid-6675813854e1dcb9.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/Artak%5E_Arzu%5E_Emil%2030-05-2010.mp3

Statements

• On May 19 a joint statement with FIDH was released about Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Yerevan, Geneva, 19 May 2010 - On the occasion of the Universal Periodic Review of Armenia, which took place in Geneva, FIDH, its Armenian member organisation Civil Society Institute and  the Helsinki Committee of Armenia welcome the numerous important recommendations addressed to the authorities and call on Armenia to implement them rapidly.   http://www.csi.am/en/human-rights/2010/05/19/upr

• May 12 was the third anniversary of Levon Gulyan's tragic death.
  CSI joined the statement about this case with Armenian Helsinki Committee, and Helsinki Citizen's Assembly Vanadzor Office.
  http://www.csi.am/en/human-rights/2010/05/12/statement

• On April 27 a statement was released about Vahan Khalafyan's case.

Paris-Yerevan - April 27, 2010, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), its member organisation the Civil Society Institute (CSI), the Armenian Helsinki Committee and the Foundation against the Violation of Law condemn the death of Vahan Khalafyan at the Charentsavan Police Department on April 13, 2010.
http://www.csi.am/en/human-rights/2010/04/27/statement

Legal advice

• CSI operates the free legal advice hotline for those who have legal questions related to law enforcement bodies and have basic legal questions.
  During May, 54 calls were received on 080 080 804 hotline of free legal consultation. 

• Several legal provisions of the Criminal Exectuive Code pertaining to the grounds and procedures of conditional release from sentence were assigned to legal expertise and laws on making amendments in the Criminal Executive Code were drafted.

 

Trainings

On May 26, 27 and 31, a training on human rights reporting was organized for 10 journalists to explore issues of legal, journalistic and civic aspects of reporting on human rights.  This program Professional Journalists For Human Rights is supported by Counterpart International/USAID.
http://hra.am/am/announcements/2010/05/21/training

Launch of a new program

"Let's PeaceJam"

CSI in partnership with NGOs in Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh started a program "Let's PeaceJam". It will gather Armenian and Azerbaijani youth through video conferencing. During the program lectures, discussion with experts and film screening will be organized. A joint youth conflict transformation conference will be held for 30 participants. The first video conference will be launched in late June. The program is supported by the UK Government's Conflict Pool.