Targeting Human Rights NGOs and Their Members is Unacceptable, Ombudsman Says

The Human Rights Defender considers it unacceptable to target human rights NGOs and their members, as well as the growing volume of insults directed at them and the dangerous trends of escalation. This was stated in a declaration issued by the Office of the Human Rights Defender.

It is concerning that targeting on social media is also personalized and characterized by hate speech. Such perceptions should not be allowed to develop in our society, as they pose a risk not only of increasing intolerance in the country but also regarding the role of NGOs and human rights defenders.

The state must guarantee the free operation of NGOs within the country through its relevant bodies and provide them with the necessary protection. It should be noted that civil society organizations have a specific role in the human rights protection system, performing an important function of oversight over the state.

They must have guarantees for normal functioning, which will ensure the state of human rights protection in the country. The Human Rights Defender of Armenia emphasizes the vital importance of the work of NGOs and individual human rights defenders in the establishment and development of democracy in our country.

Issues relating to the protection of human rights have become an even higher priority in our country, especially recently, when concerns over the protection of life, health, property, social security, and other rights have arisen due to the pandemic and subsequent wartime conditions. These issues have become the subject of concern for all of us, including civil society.

The collaboration of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia with partner human rights defenders and NGOs is ongoing in priority areas of human rights protection, such as the rights of servicemen and their families, the rights of persons with disabilities, children, women, freedom of expression and press, protection of the rights of persons deprived of liberty, prevention of torture, promotion of business, protection of labor rights, and ensuring the rights of refugees, among others.

Effective joint work on issues of human rights and freedoms and matters of public significance with NGOs and human rights defenders, such as the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Freedom of Information Center, the Yerevan Press Club, the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, the Civil Society Development Committee, “SOS Children’s Villages” charity foundation, Human Rights Defense Without Borders NGO, the coordinator of the Coalition Against Violence Against Women, Full Life, Unison, and NGOs Against Legal Arbitrary, Protection of Taxpayers, etc. is imperative.

The activities of observer groups conducting supervision over closed institutions are also crucial. Furthermore, the cooperation between the Human Rights Defender and NGOs has an institutional nature through advisory councils attached to the Defender. These include the public council on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, the advisory council for the prevention of torture, and the expert council on human rights protection in the armed forces.

In this regard, the issues of guaranteeing the unobstructed activities of representatives of civil society and human rights defenders remain under the constant attention of the Human Rights Defender. The Defender has regularly expressed public concern about the inadmissibility of calls for violence and threats against human rights defenders due to their work. The responsibility of the state to take appropriate actions in this regard has been emphasized multiple times.

Overall, it is extremely important to recognize that the role of representatives of civil society is to raise voices on issues concerning the guarantee of rights and freedoms in the country and to contribute to their resolution. Therefore, the evaluation criteria for the work of human rights protection institutions, including civil society representatives and human rights defenders, should be firmly grounded in the domain of human rights and specific areas of their work.

It is vital for both society and public and political figures to understand that the ultimate recipient and beneficiary of the work of representatives of civil society is the individual, as a holder of rights and freedoms.