Members of the opposition Yelk (Way Out) faction in Armenia’s newly elected parliament sought on Friday to convince the ruling Republican Party (HHK) to keep a standing human rights committee despite the decision to reduce the number of such committees from 12 to 9.
Under the new structure proposed by the HHK, human rights matters will be discussed in a committee, which will be in charge of state and legal issues, something that opposition members argue downgrades human rights advocacy and sends a bad message to the public.
Edmon Marukian, a leading member of the Yelk faction, claimed the “dissolution” of the human rights committee and the reduction of the number of committees is part of a government plan to prevent a representative of the opposition alliance from being installed as its chairman.
Under Armenia’s new Constitution and reformed legislation, an opposition member would have such an opportunity.
Meanwhile, the HHK has indicated that its member will lead the committee where a subcommittee on human rights may be established.
“You don’t want to keep this committee so that Yelk could not have a committee chairman in the parliament that you declare to be a founding parliament. This is the essence of this proposal,” Marukian charged, referring to statements by different officials that the role of the opposition in the parliamentary system will increase.
“If an HHK member heads a committee dealing with human rights issues it will be like having no committee at all,” Nikol Pashinian, the leader of the Yelk faction, added.
HHK representatives ruled out political motives behind the proposal. Lawmaker Hrair Tovmasian explained that keeping each committee costs the budget up to $165,000 during a five-year period.
Vahram Baghdasarian, the leader of the HHK faction, went further, accusing Yelk of seeking a “post”. “In other words, do you need an official car, a committee chairman’s position, or you want to keep your principles? From some of your speeches here I understood that the radical opposition wants to have a position in power,” he said.
Armenia’s leading human rights activists have criticized the HHK’s decision regarding the parliamentary committee.
Artur Sakunts believes a human rights committee could play a key role in parliamentary oversight of Armenia’s fulfillment of international commitments and therefore could be given greater political significance. “But incorporating it into a committee on state and legal issues even with keeping it in the name of the body turns it into a structure of secondary importance,” he said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
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