Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty has recommended that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan adopt a comprehensive anti-discrimination law.
“Elchi” reports that he wrote about this in a letter addressed to the Armenian Prime Minister.
The Commissioner urged Pashinyan to seize the opportunity to create a robust anti-discrimination framework that meets international standards and addresses the diverse needs of society.
The letter also touched upon issues such as creating suitable conditions for persons with disabilities and protecting the rights of members of the LGBT community.
“Granting the appropriate mandate to the human rights protection body requires the allocation of adequate resources. This includes the necessary facilities to ensure accessible buildings and procedures. For example, during my visit, I observed that the ombudsman’s office in Yerevan does not provide sufficient accessibility for persons with disabilities and the elderly. Another important issue is the practical legal protection of the rights of LGBT representatives. In this regard, I recommend that sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics be explicitly included in the list of protected grounds. This will clearly demonstrate that these grounds are covered by anti-discrimination protection mechanisms,” the Council of Europe official stated.
In conclusion, O’Flaherty called on Pashinyan to adopt a comprehensive law on the prevention of and fight against discrimination that is in line with international standards.