The APT learned that the Republic of Armenia will accede to the the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture in the coming months. Ani Kocharyan, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, conveyed this positive news to a gathering of actors who had convened to discuss the issue during a two-day conference in the northern Armenian town of Sevan on 5-6 November 2005. The APT also attended the event and made presentations on various aspects of the instrument.

Ani Kocharyan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the participants that the presidential administration had already approved accession to the instrument and that the various relevant ministries were currently being consulted about this matter, after which the constitutionality of accession will be considered by the Constitutional Court. The representative added that, providing the question of unconstitutionality does not arise, the draft legislation will be voted on by the Armenian parliament sometime in Spring 2006. During the event the participants also examined whether two existing domestic monitoring bodies - the Ombudswoman's Office and the Human Rights Monitoring Group - might fulfil the role of national preventive mechanisms under the Optional Protocol. The event, which was co-organized by [url=http://www.pri.ge ]Penal Reform International[/url] and Armenia's [url=http://www.csi.am/ ]Civil Society Institute[/url] was the third in the series of exchanges in 2005 to promote ratification of the Optional Protocol in the country.