Larisa Alaverdian, Armenia’s first human rights ombudsperson who was relieved
of her duties last month, said on Wednesday that she will press ahead with the
publication of a new report which will likely be critical of the government.

Under an Armenian law on the human rights defender, the state official has to
issue reports detailing their activities every year. Alaverdian, who had been
appointed by President Robert Kocharian, had to step down on January 5 in
compliance with Armenia’s newly amended constitution that mandates the
ombudsperson’s election by parliament. She insists that she held the post in the
course of last year and therefore has the right to report to the National
Assembly.

“This human rights institution is strictly personalized and the law makes it
clear that the report must be presented by the ombudsperson and not anybody
else,” she told RFE/RL. “That is why I am preparing to present the annual report
to the National Assembly and propose that it be heard at the first sitting [of
its next semi-annual session].”

Alaverdian, whose two-year activities drew accolades from local human rights
groups, already issued such a report last year. It criticized the Armenian
authorities’ human rights record and in particular their 2004 crackdown on the
opposition. The ex-ombudsperson believes that the document was responsible for
the ensued deterioration of her relations with Kocharian and his government. She
also claims that the prospect of a second report was the main reason why the
authorities refused to let her continue to perform her duties until the election
of the new rights defender.

In a controversial January 4 decree, Kocharian set up a caretaker commission
tasked with managing the Ombudsperson’s Office in the interim. Alaverdian
rejected the decree as unconstitutional and appealed to the Constitutional
Court. However, the court refused to consider the appeal, saying that Alaverdian
no longer holds office. The Kocharian-controlled National Assembly may well
refuse to consider her forthcoming report valid on the same grounds.

In an open letter to parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian sent later on
Wednesday, Alaverdian asked for a permission to address the assembly and present
her report next week. Speaking to RFE/RL, she said she will send its copies to
Kocharian, government members and parliament deputies anyway. “The law obligates
me to release such a report and that’s what I’m going to do,” she said.

The parliament is expected to promptly elect Alaverdian’s successor after ending
its winter recess on Monday. The strongest candidate for the job is Armen
Harutiunian, Kocharian’s top adviser on constitutional law. Leaders of the
parliament majority formally nominated Harutiunian for the post at a meeting
late Tuesday.

The Armenian government heightened the controversy surrounding Alaverdian’s
forced resignation on January 13 when it decided to suspend the work of the
Human Rights Defender’s Office pending the election of a new ombudsperson. The
government argued that nobody has the legal right to manage the agency’s staff
in the interim, clearly contradicting the logic of Kocharian’s decree.

The move was criticized by about a dozen Armenian and Western human rights
organizations which claimed that it reflects a “further decline in the respect
for human rights and for the rule of law in Armenia.” “The removal of the
Ombudswoman from office hardly hides what could be seen as a sanction against
the efficiency of her work in dealing and highlighting fundamental human rights
issues in the country,” they said in a joint statement released on Wednesday.

Also expressing concern was a Council of Europe body monitoring the fulfillment
of Armenia’s membership obligations. In a separate statement, the Monitoring
Committee said the authorities’ handling of the ombudsperson’s office “does not
augur well” for democratization and respect for human rights.

By Shakeh Avoyan