OSCE Office in Yerevan

Human rights monitoring

The Office in Yerevan closely follows the human rights situation in Armenia and co-operates with the Ombudsman's office and state bodies on issues of human rights concern. It is facilitating the establishment of the National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT, ratified by Armenia in 2006) by providing expert advice and best practices in monitoring of closed institutions.

Assisting the Ombudsman

The Office has been assisting the Ombudsman institution since its establishment in 2004 through capacity-building activities, staff exchanges and organizing discussions on human rights issues. It chairs an international working group supporting the activities of the Ombudsman institution and its transformation into an efficient human rights defender's office.

Criminal justice reform

The Office is involved in promoting criminal justice reform by supporting the Chamber of Advocates and the General Prosecutor's Office, mainly targeting their training needs on human rights standards and international law. It also helps to promote the public image of these institutions, for example by supporting the launch in 2007 of the Chamber of Advocates official website (www.pastaban.am). The Office also supplies the Chamber's library with specialized literature in order to provide advocates with the tools to better protect the rights of citizens in court.

Monitoring places of detention

In 2004, the Office and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) helped to establish a public monitoring group for penitentiary institutions, the first body of its kind entitled to conduct public oversight of the rights of detainees. As a result of co-operation between the Office and the Armenian Government, a second monitoring group was established in 2006 to observe the rights of detainees in police detention facilities. The Office provides assistance to the monitoring groups through capacity-building activities and compilation of annual reports that are presented to state bodies and the public. The Office also supports specialized workshops and training sessions for the staff of the Ministry of Justice and the penitentiary system.

Human rights in the army

The Office assists the Ministry of Defence in its efforts to improve the human rights situation in the army. In 2006, it implemented a project on monitoring of human rights in the armed forces and in 2007 recommended the creation of a public oversight mechanism for the armed forces as part of the OPCAT implementation. The Office also attaches importance to the provision of free legal aid to conscripts and military servicemen and helps raise awareness of their rights. Since the adoption of the Law on Alternative Service in 2004, the Office closely follows the situation with conscientious objectors in Armenia.

Tolerance and non-discrimination

The Office supports the establishment of a legislative framework ensuring proper protection of the rights of religious and national minorities and assists the Government Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs in the implementation of Armenia's human rights commitments. It supports the production of DVDs and the organization of cultural events dedicated to tolerance and non-discrimination, and assists vulnerable groups in order to help them integrate into society.

Public awareness of human rights

The Office is engaged in a wide range of activities aimed at raising public awareness of human rights. It supports the production of public service announcements based on the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as conferences, workshops and the publication of information material on human rights and guides on judicial reforms, alternative sentencing and monitoring places of detention.