Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

“It is important that our stand was the first one in the hall, because all other human rights are based on this right. If you do not have complete information on time, then you cannot fully use your other rights”, stated President of “Freedom of Information Center of Armenia” NGO Shushan Doydoyan.

On December 10, 2011 the RA Human Rights Defender office initiated “Human Rights EXPO” devoted to the International Human Rights Day. The event was held in Yerevan.

The 10 stands presented during the “Human Rights’ EXPO” were about different spheres of human rights. “Freedom of Information Center of Armenia” presented the “Access to Information Right” stand.

The 11 national minorities living in Armenia were represented with one stand.

“I have always said and am saying again that the rights of national minorities are protected on legislative levels but in order to realize those rights it is not only necessary to define them by law, but also create means for the realization of those rights – equal opportunities and conditions”, stated Chairman of the board of “Midia-Shangal” Yezidi National Union” NGO Amo Sharoyan, adding that if rights stay on papers then they are not protected.

In the sphere of preventing abuses, important achievements are the observatory groups in the places for keeping arrested people. To some extend these groups have preventive nature - thinks President of “Civil Society Institute” NGO Aram Danielyan. He believes that the state does not wish to fight against abuses, and even obvious abuses are not responded properly. The human rights’ protector hopes that the national mechanism of abuse prevention will somehow solve the present issues.

Number one human rights’ protector, NA deputy Larisa Alaverdyan considers “Human Rights’ EXPO” positive in that NGOs have an opportunity to show what they are doing and with what issues people can turn to them when their rights have been violated. Besides the positive, Alaverdyan also sees some dangers. “We should be careful not to turn this into a ceremony like March 8. In reality that day has been and still is the women’s rights’ protection day, but we have turned it into a day for presenting perfumes. The same danger is present here, too. I have always said that December 10 is not a holiday. It is a day when we focus our attention on unsolved issues”, stated the number one human rights’ protector.
  
By` hra.am