Russia will use the experience of Armenia in the protection of human rights, saidTatyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia at a conference dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Institute of Human Rights Defender of Armenia on Tuesday.

According to her, it is clear how much authority the institution of human rights in Armenia enjoys within the state and in the international arena.

“Over 15 years, a huge path has been through to overcome difficulties, creative search, successes achieved, and, most importantly, it is connected with the fate of people who managed to help,” she said.

According to her, the discussion on the role and problems of national human rights institutions is relevant, as it affects the interests of each person, as well as the ombudsmen themselves. 

“New challenges and threats to human rights have arisen - the politicization of this issue, globalization, soullessness, a low level of responsibility for maintaining life. The criterion for evaluating the head of a municipal authority or the head of an authority is the state of protection of human rights,” she said.

She also cited among the challenges: illegal migration, stratification of society, cruelty and cyber threats, slave labor, discrimination against women during career growth, and a weak level of protection from domestic violence.

According to her, it is very important that the constitutional legal status of the Ombudsman is formed in Armenia. Now much depends on the personal moral and professional qualities of the Human Rights Defender himself.

She noted that the Ombudsman of Armenia responds to illegal decisions not only of authorities, but also of any legal entity that affects the rights and interests of citizens in the social sphere, whether it is education, medicine or trade. 

“This, of course, is an interesting experience for us, which we will be adopting,” she added.

She thanked the Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan for close cooperation, which helped to restore the violated rights of Armenian citizens in Russia and Russian citizens in Armenia.