Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07YEREVAN720
2007-06-01 09:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Yerevan
Cable title:  

HR DEFENDER'S OFFICE CREATES MILITARY POSITION

Tags:  PGOV PHUM MARR AM 
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VZCZCXRO2408
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHYE #0720 1520937
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010937Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5711
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC 0067
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0368
UNCLAS YEREVAN 000720 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM MARR AM
SUBJECT: HR DEFENDER'S OFFICE CREATES MILITARY POSITION

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000720

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM MARR AM
SUBJECT: HR DEFENDER'S OFFICE CREATES MILITARY POSITION


1. The Armenian government has created a new position within
the office of Human Rights Defender (ombudsman) Armen
Harutyunyan intended to follow up complaints of human rights
abuses in the ranks of the Armenian military. The Ministry
of Defense proposed the position to the ombudsman in late
2006, to fulfill one of its stated NATO Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) goals.


2. Harutyunyan told us May 31 that the new staffer would take
complaints from soldiers about their treatment or conditions
while in military service. He suggested the institution
might take some time to pick up steam, as soldiers did not
like to complain or answer questions. He said he currently
does not receive many complaints from the military, but that
he expected the number to go up as the armed forces became
more comfortable with the new position. Harutyunyan told us
he did not know when the position would be filled, though a
Ministry of Defense spokesman has said publicly that it would
be filled by mid-June. He also did not know if the position
would be filled by a serving military officer, retired
officer, or civilian.


3. COMMENT: Like many Soviet successor states, the Armenian
military continues to have a problem with so-called
"dedovshina": the serious hazing of junior recruits by more
senior conscripts. This practice kills or maims a handful of
military conscripts each year, and many others suffer abuse.
Creation of a specialized ombudsman position to investigate
abuses is a good step, but will only be effective if the new
military ombudsman is more energetic than Harutyunian is, and
if the MOD proves itself responsive to the new official's
interventions.
GODFREY

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