ArmRadio The Civilitas Foundation held discussions on human rights today. Armenian Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan was invited to answer the questions.

The Ombudsman welcomed the proposal of the President to declare amnesty ahead of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. “Any step that alleviates the condition of people is positive, irrespective of political or public developments. In the given case, I positively assess the process,” he said.

Karen Andreasyan voiced hope that it would be possible to avoid reoccurrence of the events of March 1 and public polarization in the future.

People trust the Human Rights Defender’s Office, the Ombudsman declared, adding, however, that only 13% of the applications get a positive solution.

The Ombudsman is going to actively participate in the forthcoming election processes. “The Human Rights Defender’s Office has the right to nominate three candidates for the Central Electoral Commission.”

Although the Ombudsman’s Office is not called to decide whether the elections are free and fair or not, it will follow that the civil and voting rights are protected, Karen Andreasyan stated.