Commissioner Hammarberg has concluded on 11 October a five-day high-level official visit to Armenia, where he assessed a broad range of human rights issues, focusing mainly on the functioning of the judiciary, conditions of detention, cases of torture and ill-treatment, freedom of expression, as well as social and economic rights.
"The legal framework has been considerably improved and the reform of the Constitution is a step in the right direction" the Commissioner said presenting his preliminary findings at the press conference which concluded the visit. "However, the problem is the implementation of these reforms and of human rights standards".
Thomas Hammarberg stressed that the system of justice still does not work appropriately and that judges should prove more independence in their acting.
With regard to the police, the Human Rights Commissioner acknowledged positive steps forward, but he expressed concerns about the behaviour of the police and investigators during pre-trial examinations. "There is evidence that brutality has been used in a great number of cases" said Mr Hammarberg. "The use of ill-treatment to obtain confession must be brought to an end. It is a serious violation and undermines the system of justice".
The Commissioner also underlined the importance of finding ways to secure media diversity and decriminalise defamation.
Finally, Mr Hammarberg expressed the wish that both national authorities and the international community redouble efforts in ensuring decent living conditions to vulnerable groups, in particular refugees and the victims of the 1988 earthquake. "Lots of efforts have been already made, but there is still a need to secure that these vulnerable people are given a better situation" he said.
The Commissioner's assessment report on Armenia, containing recommendations to help redress shortcomings, is expected to be presented in three months.
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