OSCE Office helps discuss legal framework of amended Armenian law on assembly

YEREVAN, 6 November 2008 - The new regulations and the practical application of the recently amended Law on Conducting Gatherings, Meetings, Rallies and Demonstrations in Armenia are on the agenda of an OSCE-supported workshop for representatives of political parties which started in Yerevan today.

The Law on Conducting Gatherings, Meetings, Rallies and Demonstrations, amended in June by the Armenian Parliament, has been assessed by the Venice Commission and experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as generally complying with the international standards on freedom of assembly.

"The exercise of the right to peaceful assembly, which is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society, is still not flawless in Armenia. While the law has been amended, it is important to realize that any legal framework can be efficient only with proper implementation and enforcement," said Marc Bojanic, the Acting Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

"Discussions about international guidelines for freedom of peaceful assembly, the Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights, and the functions of administrative and judicial bodies will help promote better understanding of the legal procedures, proper practice and law enforcement."

The two-day workshop is being conducted by Neil Jarman, the chairman of the Expert Panel of Freedom of Assembly of OSCE/ODIHR and two local legal experts.

Similar workshops for representatives of the local-self government bodies and administrative court judges were organized in October and July.