Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan has responded to a message conveyed by philanthropist, businessman, and former State Minister of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan during a phone call with his family from a prison in Baku, in which he called for visits to detainees.
Manasyan stated that the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has not received any official proposal for cooperation on the matter under discussion, nor any confirmation that the Azerbaijani side has expressed readiness to facilitate such cooperation.
She also provided clarifications regarding the mandate and powers of the Ombudsman’s institution.
“The status of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia implies that the latter does not and cannot conduct negotiations on behalf of the state, nor implement the state’s foreign policy, but operates exclusively within the framework of the legislation of the Republic of Armenia and international standards assigned to the Defender’s mandate. Accordingly, the powers of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia extend exclusively to processes of recording alleged human rights violations by state and local self-government bodies of the Republic of Armenia, regardless of the citizenship of the rights holder.
Moreover, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia is authorized to carry out monitoring visits to places of deprivation of liberty and to apply all available tools during such visits only within the Republic of Armenia.
At the same time, we consider it necessary to emphasize that within peace processes, national human rights institutions may play a key role, strictly observing international standards and ethical principles governing their activities, and exercising this role based on independence, impartiality, neutrality, multidimensionality, and cooperation.
The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, being accredited by the United Nations as an independent institution, considers the immediate activation of all humanitarian and legal mechanisms extremely important not only in the current situation but has consistently applied its tools in post-conflict and peace processes, including from the perspective of ensuring the rights of Armenians deprived of liberty in Azerbaijan. Information subject to publication on this matter is presented on the official platforms of the Human Rights Defender,” the statement says.
It is also noted that the activities of national human rights institutions are built on principles of confidentiality and “do no harm.”
“We are puzzled by the following idea expressed in the message: ‘During our conversation, the Azerbaijani Ombudsman stated that she had already discussed with you the possibility of visiting Baku, and that the Azerbaijani side had expressed readiness to facilitate its organization.’ We find it necessary to emphasize that the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has not received any official proposal for cooperation on this matter, nor any confirmation that the Azerbaijani side has expressed readiness to facilitate such cooperation.
At the same time, it should be taken into account that every issue of rights protection within a particular state falls under the mandate of that state’s ombudsman or national human rights institution, is a function of that state’s ombudsman, and cannot in any way depend on communication with another state’s human rights institution.
The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has always been and remains open to any cooperation and communication with partner institutions, provided that it strictly adheres to the above-mentioned standards—independence, impartiality, neutrality, and ethical principles.
We also add that modern human rights protection systems require the existence of an internationally recognized independent monitoring mechanism based on the principle of independence to ensure the protection of individuals’ rights during detention, which is also a fundamental priority in this context,” the statement notes.
Manasyan reaffirmed her repeatedly voiced position that all Armenians deprived of liberty in Azerbaijan must be released immediately, which is crucial both for the peace process and for guaranteeing human rights values in the modern civilized world.
Vardanyan urged the Ombudsman to consider the possibility of visiting Baku and questioned why none of the members of Armenian delegations visiting Baku for economic cooperation and other issues had visited detainees. He added that his wife is ready to take part in such an initiative and visit Baku.
