Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Eighty-first session

6–31 August 2012

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention

Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Armenia

Addendum

Information received from the Republic of Armenia on the implementation of concluding observations 13, 14 and 17 of the Committee (CERD/C/ARM/CO/5-6)

[17 April 2012]

Paragraph 13 of the concluding observations

1.With regard to the recommendation that minorities should be given due representation in elective and other public bodies, it must be noted that article 11 of the Civil Service Act lays down that citizens of Armenia who satisfy the passport requirements for a given appointment to the civil service, who speak Armenian and who are over the age of 18 have the right to employment in the civil service, in accordance with statutory procedure, irrespective of nationality, race, sex, faith, political and other opinions, social origin, wealth or other status.

2.Similar provisions are contained in almost all laws governing the various forms of public service.

3.According to data supplied by government departments, members of national minorities are present in the following public bodies and subordinate authorities:

The Government

The Ministry of Health

The Ministry for Emergency Response

The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

The Ministry of Environmental Protection

The Ministry of the Economy and Natural Resources

The Ministry of Agriculture

The Ministry of Defence

The Police

The Government Migration Service of the Ministry of Territorial Administration

The Administration of the province of Aragatsotn

The Administration of the province of Armavir

The Administration of the province of Shirak

The Administration of the province of Kotayk

The National Archives, a non-commercial State organization responding to the Ministry of Territorial Administration

The Public Radio and Television Broadcasting Company

4.As far as the representation of national minorities in public bodies is concerned, special mention must be made of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for Emergency Response, the Ministry of Defence, the Police and the authorities subordinate to them, where the number of persons from national minorities is 68, 22, 63 and 71 respectively.

5.Three per cent of the members of the Armenian youth parliament come from national minorities. A significant number of assistants to the deputies of the current parliament are Yezidis and Assyrians. Moreover many of the candidates standing in elections to the National Assembly on 5 and 6 May are members of national minorities.

Paragraph 14

6.With reference to the recommendation that any organization which promotes or incites racial discrimination should be outlawed, it must be noted that, at present, in the territory of Armenia, there are no political organizations whose members would call for the expulsion of any ethnic group from Armenia. Under article 21, paragraph 1 (1) of the Act on voluntary organizations, an authorized State body may apply to the courts to have an organization disbanded, if its activities are directed at the violent overthrowing of the constitutional order of Armenia, the fomenting of national, racial or religious discord or the advocacy of violence and war.

7.Article 7 (3) of the Political Parties Act prohibits the use of any symbol(s) which distort(s) the State symbols of Armenia or of other States, which insult(s) the spiritual, racial or national feelings of people and which violate(s) generally accepted moral standards.

8.Article 9 of the Act prohibits the establishment and activities of parties whose aims and actions are directed at violent constitutional change and undermining the territorial integrity of Armenia, the creation of armed formations, the fomenting of national, racial or religious discord or the advocacy of violence and war.

Paragraph 17

9.With regard to the recommendation that preventive action should be taken against manifestations of discrimination against individuals and groups, Armenia attaches particular significance to human rights education. In particular, it must be noted that the Office of the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Education and Science set up a working group which formulated a National Action Plan on Human Rights Education, 2012–2015 which details relevant actions in respect of teachers and pupils and sets the time frame for completing them.

10.As part of the measures taken to improve the armed forces’ awareness of human rights, the Ministry of Defence is taking appropriate steps to prevent and combat manifestations of racial or national discrimination. In particular, the whole of chapter 12 of the manual “Human rights and fundamental freedoms of members of the armed forces” is devoted to the rights of personnel from ethnic and linguistic minorities. A course based on this manual is run on human rights in the armed forces. Particular attention is paid in this course to the issues of racial discrimination, the rights of national minorities and concomitant questions.

11.National minority issues have always formed the focus of attention of the public broadcasting company, as is evidenced by regular reports covering the problems and cultural and historical events of national minorities. The latter are frequently invited to take part in numerous public television broadcasts. Every day public radio puts out broadcasts in 13 languages (15 minutes in Russian, English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, Georgian and Assyrian and 30 minutes in Arabic, Azeri, Persian, Kurdish and Yazidic). In addition to news bulletins in national minorities’ languages, programmes on cultural, historical and demographic subjects are also transmitted. The above-mentioned broadcasts are also to be found on the public radio’s website at www.armradio.am.