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During today’s extraordinary session the Armenian Parliament is discussing the draft law on the “Human Rights Defender” and the package of related bills.

First Deputy Minister of Justice Artur Hovhannisyan noted that the necessity for the adoption of the draft law on the “Human Rights Defender” and the related drafts is based on the Constitutional reforms made on 6 December 2015.

A number of legal acts, including the correspondence of the Constitutional law on the “Human Rights Defender” to the Constitution, is prescribed by Article 210 of the new Constitution.

The draft law prescribes the new constitutional requirements related to expanding the powers of the Armenian Ombudsman. Article 191 of the RA Constitution enables the human rights defender not only to follow the maintenance of human rights and freedoms by the state and local governments and officials, but also by the organizations. The bill also sets the cases when the Ombudsman can discuss the complaints made against the organizations.

According to A. Hovhannisyan the draft law also prescribes new peculiarities regarding the status guarantees for the Ombudsman and his staff. Special regulations are set by the legislative in relation to the structure of the staff of the human rights defender. It prescribes establishment of Expertise Councils and clarification of the role of the Ombudsman’s functions.