Larisa Alaverdyan, the First Human Rights Defender wants the Deputy Minister of Justice of the RA Tatoyan to be the 4th Ombudsman. In her opinion Mr. Tatoyan has a great working experience in this field. “His first workplace was the office of Human Rights Defender. Every time the authorities bring a reliable person even though subsequently we have unexpected outcome. The difference is that I was nominated by the executive; the Republican in the face of Margaryan Andranik,” Mrs. Alaverdyan mentioned when speaking about the candidates.
Negative traditions have been developed during the work of the Human Rights Defender. The defenders were appointed on the suggestion of the government. Further the ombudsmen were criticized by the same government and forced to resign. In this case the First Defender of Human Rights said that persecution started from the years of her activity.
Despite 14 months of pressure the staff and I worked till 2006. Then the country’s second president, though having no rights, released me from work. Considering that order illegal I continued going to my workplace but it was closed and they had even took the seal from me. Only when the entrance was closed and the workers were sent on vacation I could not go to work, I struggled till the end”-she said.
Mrs. Alaverdyan pointed out that the HRDs were subject to different pressures or attempts for pressures, “In this three cases the government failed. During Karen Andreasyan’s period there were psychological pressures as well,”- said our interlocutor adding that it is the Government that recommends those candidates, but later the Government itself fails to stand their work style and their desire to make our country a legal state and thus loses. The Government has lost to the Human Rights Defenders with a score 3-0,” Mrs. Alaverdyan said.
She concluded that the Government shall have to change approaches.
