The Human Rights Defender considers inadmissible the targeting of human rights NGOs and its members, and the growing volume of the insults directed at them.

The fact that the targeting on social media is personified and distinguished by hate speech is concerning. Such perceptions should not be allowed to take route in our society since they are dangerous not only because of the growing intolerance in the country but also in terms of the role that NGOs and human rights defenders perform.

The state should guarantee the free operation of the NGOs in the country through its relevant bodies and provide them with the necessary protection.

It should be taken into consideration that civil society organizations play a special part in the human rights system and they perform a substantial role in the function of control over the state.

They must have guarantees for the normal performance of their functions, which will ensure the protection of human rights throughout the country. The Human Rights Defender of Armenia attaches great importance to the work of NGOs and individual human rights defenders and their role in the establishment and development of democracy in our country.

In our country, the protection of human rights has become a priority, especially recently, when the issues of human rights to life, health, private property, social security, and other rights, first due to the pandemic and then due to the war situation has become a matter of concern for all of us as well as for civil society.

The cooperation between the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and partner human rights defenders and NGOs is continuous in priority areas of human rights protection, such as the rights of military servicemen and their families, the rights of persons with disabilities, the rights of children, the rights of women, freedom of expression and of the press, the protection of the rights of persons deprived of their liberty, the prevention of torture, the promotion of business and labor rights, the protection of refugee rights, etc.

It is effective to work together with NGOs and human rights defenders on human rights, freedoms, and issues of public importance, such as the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Freedom of Information Center, the Yerevan Press Club, the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office, the Association of Informed Citizens, SOS Children’s Villages Armenian Charitable Foundation, Human Rights Without Borders NGO, Coordinator of the Coalition Against Violence Against Women, Full Life, Unison, NGO Against Legal Arbitrariness, Taxpayer Protection, etc. The activities of monitoring groups exercising oversight over closed institutions are also important.

Moreover, the cooperation between the Human Rights Defender and the NGOs is institutional through the councils adjunct to the Defender. These are the Public Council for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the torture Prevention Advisory Board, and the Expert Council on Human Rights Protection in the Armed Forces.

In this respect, the issues of guaranteeing the unhindered activity of civil society representatives and human rights defenders are under the Human Rights Defender’s consistent scrutiny. The Defender has regularly expressed concern over calls for violence and about the inadmissibility of threats against human rights defenders due to their role. In this matter, the obligation of the state to take adequate steps has been emphasized many times.

In general, the perception that the role of civil society representatives is to raise the issue of guaranteeing rights and freedoms in the country is extremely important. Therefore, the evaluation of the work of human rights institutions, including civil society representatives and human rights defenders, should be in the field of human rights and work in specific areas.

The understanding among civil, public, and political actors that the human being as the holder of individual rights and freedoms is the principal beneficiary of the work of civil society representatives is of crucial importance.

Source: www.ombuds.am