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The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has released its opinion on the draft amendments to the Law on the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia

In its conclusions, the Venice Commission notes that the draft law represents a significant progress compared to the law currently in force.

The most important recommendations of the Venice Commission are the following:

- To provide in the law for a transparent vetting procedure, involving a parliamentary committee and including a sufficient number of independent experts, which would suggest to the Parliament several eligible candidates for the position of the Defender.

- To make clear that a human rights complaint may be submitted to the Defender even if this complaint may in principle fall within the jurisdiction of the courts; however, the Defender should not consider disputes which have already been resolved or are being resolved by the courts.

- To clarify in the law the respective mandates and principles of functioning of the two Councils (Preventive Council and Expert Council) and to define the status of their members accordingly.

- To guarantee adequate level of funding of the Defender’s office, in particular by guaranteeing an appropriate level of salaries for the Defender and his/her staff.