Guarantee of Financial Independence of the RA Ombudsman Must Be Preserved

The President of the Association of Francophone Ombudsmen and Mediators (Paris), Mohamed Benalilou, has sent an open letter on behalf of all the association's members to the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, proposing to preserve the provision related to the guarantee of the financial independence of the Human Rights Defender.

The Ombudsman's office reports that the existing provision stipulates that the annual budget allocation for the Defender and his staff cannot be less than the amount allocated in the state budget of the previous year.

Mohamed Benalilou has expressed concern that a proposed amendment to repeal this provision would weaken the overall effectiveness of the institution's operations, particularly its ability to efficiently monitor places of detention across the country as a national prevention mechanism.

Furthermore, the association's president noted in his letter that the proposed amendment was initiated without consultation and involvement of the Human Rights Defender.

In light of the Paris and Venice Principles, as well as the UN General Assembly resolution on the “Role of Ombudsmen and Mediating Institutions in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights, Good Governance and the Rule of Law,” the letter called for the preservation of the existing provision stipulated in Article 8, Part 5 of the Constitutional Law on the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia.

Note: The Association of Francophone Ombudsmen and Mediators is an independent international organization composed of 47 members from 36 Francophone countries, headquartered in Paris. The association's activities are aimed at strengthening the institutions of Francophone ombudsmen and supporting the exchange of experience.

We present the full French version of the letter and its Armenian translation, carried out by the staff of the Human Rights Defender.

P.S. The President of the Association of Francophone Ombudsmen and Mediators (Paris) was informed when sending an open letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly that the Government has withdrawn the draft that eliminates the guarantees of financial independence for the Defender's office; however, the letter was written as a preventive measure.