YEREVAN. The assessments of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg on Armenia are not new, head of “Heritage” parliamentary faction Stepan Safaryan Safaryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to Safaryan, “all Armenia has been experiencing since March 1 events was reflected in the report”. “The European official was more consistent than some political forces. Hammarberg’s assessments in fact remained unchanged. It demands an effective investigation, without which parliamentary and presidential elections in Armenia will not be fair,” Safaryan stressed.

According to him, political assessments should be given to what happened to avoid further consequences. The MP emphasized the release of political prisoners should be hailed positive. “A transparent and clear investigation should be conducted and those responsible for the deaths of 10 victims must be brought to justice,” Safaryan said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg released a report on May 9 on his visit to Armenia carried out in January 2011. The report focuses on human rights issues related to the March 2008 events, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association, and the human rights situation in the army.