The bill which was approved during today’s Armenian government session and, in essence, is an attempt to lift the guarantee of financial autonomy of the Office of the Human Rights Defender, is not only unconstitutional, but also contradicts the recommendations of the Venice Commission, which is the advisory body of the Council of Europe. Armenian News-NEWS.am reports this after exploring the extensive objections that the Office of the Human Rights Defender presented in regard to the bill in September 2020.

When expressing its position on the bill, the Office of the Human Rights Defender reminded that the guarantee of financial autonomy of the Human Rights Defender is enshrined by the Constitution, according to which the State shall ensure proper funding for the operation of the Human Rights Defender.

The Office of the Human Rights Defender explained that not only have the functions of the Office increased, but also the number of applications and complaints submitted to the Human Rights Defender has grown over the past few years. Based on the justification of the Office, from the perspective of the development of new areas of activity of the Human Rights Defender and the scope of powers reserved for the latter and from the perspective of the rise in the number of applications and complaints, a need is emerging to increase funding for the Human Rights Defender and the Office.

When presenting its objectives, the Office of the Human Rights Defender also made a reference to the Venice Principles, which stipulate that the institution of the Ombudsman must be secured with sufficient and independent budget resources. There was a time when the Venice Commission also expressed its position on the need for guarantees of financial independence reserved for the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.