OSCE Office holds discussion on draft law on rallies in Armenia

YEREVAN, 23 April 2004 - A roundtable on the draft law on public gatherings and rallies, organized with the help of the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia (OSI AFA), was held on Thursday in Yerevan.

"Freedom of assembly and the right to conduct peaceful public gatherings is a fundamental right envisaged by international documents and the Armenian Constitution", said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin. "Ensuring proper implementation of this right is a critical factor in building a democratic society in Armenia".

The draft of the Procedure of Conducting Public Gatherings, Meetings, Rallies and Demonstrations was put forward by the Ministry of Justice and adopted by parliament in the first reading on 31 March.

Expert opinions from the OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe Venice Commission and the German Technical Assistance were presented to the participants of the event. It was also stressed that, according to international experts, there is a need for further improvement of the law.

"The need for developing effective legislation on freedom of assembly in Armenia in line with internationally accepted standards has been widely recognized and long awaited", added Ambassador Pryakhin. Since early 2003 the Office has recommended that a legal act ensuring proper implementation of the right to conduct peaceful public gatherings in Armenia should be adopted.

The Minister of Justice, David Haroutunyan, and the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, Tigran Torosyan, thanked the OSCE and other experts for providing comments and recommendations on the draft. "Work on the draft demonstrated good co-operation between the authorities and international experts. The OSCE/ODIHR provided prompt and substantial recommendations, the majority of which have been taken into account by the authors", said Mr. Torosyan.

The event brought together representatives of the National Assembly, government, police, mayor's office, various non-governmental organizations and the media.