PACE Takes Into Consideration Report on Constitutional Referendum in
Armenia

24 January 2006

On January 23, PACE took into consideration the PACE Bureau annual report also
including the process of the referendum on constitutional amendments held on
November 27 in Armenia...


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15670



Next Armenian Ombudsman to Certainly Be an Official

January 21, 2006

The next Armenian Ombudsman will certainly be an official - the authorities will
not make a mistake for the second time, says the chairman of the Helsinki
Committee of Armenia Avetik Ishkhanyan...


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15663

The Ex-Ombudsman of Armenia Considers the "Human Rights Watch" Estimate on
the Situation on Armenia More Critical Than In the Previous Years

January 20, 2006

"Human Rights Watch" estimate on the situation on Armenia is far more critical
than in the previous years said the ex-Ombudsman of Armenia Larisa Alaverdian in
an interview with ARMINFO correspondent...


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15660

Armenian Lawyers Skeptical About Court Independence after Constitutional
Reform

January 19, 2006

Making Armenian courts less dependent on the government was a key aim of
Western-backed constitutional amendments that were controversially enacted by
the administration of President Robert Kocharian last November. But independent
lawyers in Yerevan are skeptical about the reform’s impact on Armenia’s
notoriously corrupt and subservient judiciary, expecting little positive change
in the foreseeable future...


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15665

Kocharian Rejects Human Rights Watch Criticism

January 19, 2006

President Robert Kocharian rejected through a spokesman on Thursday renewed
criticism of his administration’s human rights record that has been voiced by a
respected international watchdog...

In its annual World Report released on Wednesday, the New York-based Human
Rights Watch accused the Armenian authorities of continuing to restrict civil
rights, bully their political opponents and tolerate police brutality. “Although
the international community continued in 2005 to look favorably on Armenia for
its economic performance, the government has failed to improve its human rights
record,” it said...


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15659


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15654

OSCE Office Supports Opening Of Local Aarhus Centre In Armenia's Lori
Province

January 19, 2006

A Public environmental information centre (Aarhus Centre), supported by the OSCE
Office in Yerevan, opened in Vanadzor, the capital of Armenia's Lori province,
Armenia. The Centre will help the public to participate in decision-making in
environmental matters, as well as contributing to the creation of a climate of
transparency in environmental affairs, and good governance in the region...


www.hra.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15661