ArmInfo.To date, we have to state that in Armenia the rights of the media are not fully protected. Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan announced this on June 27 at the presentation of his annual report for 2017.
Another important issue that requires special attention, according to Tatoyan, is the protection of prisoners' rights. The Ombudsman noted that the number of prisoners and detainees in Armenia exceeds the international figures by about 37.4%. "When a person is detained, he does not have the right to see his relatives without the permission of the investigator. The person during the preliminary investigation may not see his relatives, and the preliminary investigation can last 2-3 years. This is unacceptable, moreover, the physic health may be harmed. The decision should be made by the court or the prosecutor, and not by the investigator. If there is a preliminary investigation, this does not mean that a person should automatically be deprived of the right to see his family" said the Ombudsman. Also, the human rights defender noted that there are certain complaints of prisoners related to medical care. Tatoyan noted that prisoners sometimes can refuse to choose their own doctor, and also, if necessary, visit a civilian medical institution. Also, according to the ombudsman, an important role in this area is the work of lawyers. "It is important that criminal responsibility was envisaged for imposing lawyers' work," Tatoyan stressed.
The Ombudsman also touched upon the problems of socially unsecured families. "It is very important that children from socially unsecured families receive textbooks free of charge. At the moment, this issue is not fully resolved, and the principle that free textbooks are issued is not yet fully understood. There are cases when parents do not raise this question because they do not want their children to be subjected to peers' jeering. There is a point of view that in such a case, children from socially unsecured families should also be provided with backpacks and clothes," the human rights defender stressed.
The human rights defender also said that in connection with the escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azeri border, his office's employees began to visit the border areas more often and found out that Azeris deliberately fire at civilians in Armenian villages. "During the visits, we fixed that the target of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan is the peaceful civilian population, which is a violation of international humanitarian norms," the ombudsman said, stressing that during the visits, social needs of borderline population are also specified.
Tatoyan also touched on the existing problems in the issue of ensuring the rights of people with disabilities. According to him, in Armenia, people with disabilities cannot fully integrate into society. "Parents often do not take their children to school because they do not want other children to tease the child because they are disabled, so a child loses one of his basic rights, the right to education. In addition, some parents do not want their children to study with a child with disabilities in one class, all of them are stereotypes that must be broken," Tatoyan said.
And the last point in the Ombudsman's report was the protection of women's rights. Arman Tatoyan said that in Armenian society there are still stereotypes that woman should engage only in housing and cooking. At the same time, the ombudsman noted that there is progress in Armenia in connection with the integration of women in politics. "Moreover, women play a very important role in the Ombudsman office of Armenia," Tatoyan concluded.