The Council of Europe organised a discussion aimed at exploring the European standards for ensuring the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), namely the European Court of Human Rights case law and Council of Europe standards on IDP protection.
The discussion was organised to better analyse key judgments from the European Court of Human Rights that have shaped protections for internally displaced persons in several critical areas, including the right to enjoyment of possessions, the right to a home, family life, freedom of movement, electoral rights, protection against discrimination, and social protection for IDPs.
Additionally, the session addressed state responsibilities under the Council of Europe guidelines providing Armenian authorities with strategies to apply rights-based approaches in line with the Court’s established framework.
At the request of the Armenian authorities, this event was organised to support the early stages of drafting a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of IDPs. According to Armen Ghazaryan, Head of the RA Migration and Citizenship Service “Internal displacement is more complicated from the perspective of defining the legal status because the citizens of your country are being displaced, so it is important to analyse and understand how it is changing the situation from the legal point of view.”
By understanding the Council of Europe standards and European Court of Human Rights case law from the beginning, the Armenian authorities aim to create a stronger foundation for supporting the rights and dignity of IDPs.
This event was organised by the Council of Europe Action Plan project “Strengthening human rights safeguards for the displaced population in Armenia”.