Radmila Šekerinska (c), the head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission for the 6 May parliamentary elections in Armenia, speaking during a press conference in Yerevan, 7 May 2012. (OSCE/Thomas Rymer)
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has released its final report on Armenia’s parliamentary elections, held on 6 May 2012. Continue reading
Tagged Armenia, Election, Electoral Code, Electoral fraud, ODIHR, OSCE
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group voiced concern over reports of cease-fire violations along the Line of Contact before and after the March 5 Sochi Summit. Continue reading
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Posted in Armenia, Politics, Region
Tagged Armenia, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh War, OSCE, OSCE Minsk Group
ATHENS, 1 December 2009 – The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of France Bernard Kouchner, and Deputy Secretary of State of the United States James Steinberg, released the following statement today: Continue reading
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Posted in Armenia
Tagged Armenia, Athens, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Minsk group, Nagorno-Karabakh, OSCE
Next OSCE Minsk Group US Co-Chairman Robert A. Bradtke, Photo via RFE/RL
Everyone’s ‘favorite’ OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman Mathew Bryza will probably stop revealing to the media details of Karabakh regulation process, only to come out the next day to say he was misquoted and misunderstood again. Robert A. Bradtke will replace Bryza on that post. The official State Department Statement says:
Posted in Armenia
Tagged Armenia, Azerbaijan, Conflict, Karabakh, Minsk group, Nagorno-Karabakh, Negotiations, News, OSCE
STRASBOURG/WARSAW, 02.04.2008 – In a joint legal opinion, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded that recent amendments to Armenia’s assembly law raise serious concerns.
The amendments to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations, passed on 17 March 2008, were reviewed by the ODIHR’s Expert Panel on Freedom of Assembly and the Venice Commission following a request from the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament.
“On the basis of a preliminary assessment, the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR Expert Panel on Freedom of Assembly do not consider the proposed amendments to be acceptable, to the extent that they restrict further the right of assembly in a significant fashion”, says the joint opinion.
The amendments tighten provisions concerning spontaneous assemblies, and limit the possibility for decisions on restricting assemblies deemed to pose a risk for public order to be reviewed by an independent tribunal or court. In addition, a provision allowing for small events to develop spontaneously into bigger assemblies – which was considered a good practice example and made the Law in its previous form stand out as progressive – has been repealed.
The joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR was shared with the National Assembly on 28 March 2008, and will be discussed with National Assembly representatives in Yerevan on 15-16 April 2008.
The joint opinion continues the long-standing cooperation between the Armenian authorities, the ODIHR and the Venice Commission on the legislative regulation of public assemblies.
