US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN313

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN; DRL; EUR/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, AM 
SUBJECT: ARMENIA'S NEW HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN: 
ALAVERDIAN A GOOD CHOICE 
 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) Larisa Alaverdian, Human Rights Ombudsman- 
designee, told us that she plans to create a lasting 
and strong institution that will have a respected place 
within the Armenian state structure.  A former 
International Visitor Program participant, Alaverdian 
will initially direct her efforts to harmonizing 
Armenia's Constitution and laws with its international 
human rights' treaty commitments, reforming the 
judiciary, and resolving the longstanding difficulties 
between the GOAM and the Jehovah's Witnesses.  End 
Summary. 
 
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ARMENIA'S FIRST HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN 
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3. (SBU) Larissa Alaverdian confirmed recent press 
speculation that the President's Office has informed 
her that she will be appointed Armenia's first Human 
Rights Ombudsman.  The National Assembly created the 
post of Ombudsman during the Fall 2003 parliamentary 
session.  Under existing Armenian law, the President 
can appoint the Ombudsman as an official of the 
executive branch.  The appointment is subject to 
consultations with parliamentary factions.  (Note: The 
Constitution does not require the President to seek 
parliamentary confirmation for executive appointments, 
only present the appointee's name for discussion.  End 
Note.)  Alaverdian says she is currently awaiting the 
response from parliamentary leaders on her pending 
appointment. 
 
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MAKING AN EFFECTIVE OMBUDSMAN 
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4. (SBU) Alaverdian, who participated in a December 
2003 International Visitors Program in the United 
States, told us that her most important priority would 
be creating a lasting and independent office with a 
respected place in the Armenian government.  She said 
that she fears that the Office of the Ombudsman will be 
a weak institution, lacking a mandate and real 
authority.  Alaverdian told us that as Ombudsman she 
would fight to get an independent budget and clearly 
defined duties.  She plans to inform GOAM agencies, 
including law enforcement authorities, the Ministry of 
Justice, and the security services, about her agenda 
and their obligations under domestic and international 
law regarding the protection of human rights. 
Alaverdian plans to establish field offices that would 
extend her efforts into the regions. 
 
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LIMITED GOALS AT OUTSET 
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5. (SBU) Alaverdian addressed three areas in which 
plans to concentrate her efforts: 
 
- She will review Armenia's human rights obligations 
under international law, and encourage the National 
Assembly to harmonize domestic legal codes with these 
requirements. 
 
- She proposes a judicial reform initiative that would 
include monitoring the courts and a program to educate 
judges on citizen's rights. 
 
- Alaverdian, with the help of National Assembly member 
Hranush Hakobian, hopes to resolve the difficulties of 
the Jehovah's Witnesses' in registering as a religious 
organization. 
 
She also hopes to begin investigations on a backlog of 
human rights complaints registered with the President's 
Human Rights Commission. 
 
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COMMENT: TOUGH ROAD AHEAD 
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6. (SBU) We consider the President's appointment of 
Alaverdian to be an excellent choice and one that could 
lead to positive developments in Armenia's human rights 
record.  Alaverdian is well-known to the Embassy, 
participating in a recent International Visitors 
Program and receiving a Democracy Commission Small 
Grant for a program to raise youth awareness of their 
civil liberties.  She has earned the reputation of a 
dedicated but pragmatic defender of human rights, using 
her political connections and knowledge of the 
bureaucracy to work within the system to effect change. 
 
7. (SBU) Despite her dedication and qualifications, 
Alaverdian faces a difficult task in establishing an 
independent and effective institution.  The Ombudsman 
lacks a clearly defined mandate, and as an executive 
organ, lacks independence from the authorities and 
institutions most in need of reform.  Alaverdian told 
us that she is "ready to change things," but to be 
successful she must also be ready to challenge the 
authorities and forcefully assert her agenda and 
prerogatives.  Her track record suggests she is one of 
the best qualified persons in Armenia for this task. 
End Comment. 
 
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
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8. (U) Larisa Alaverdian, born January 21, 1943 in 
Baku, trained at the State Pedagogical Institute in 
Baku from 1961-1966, moved to Yerevan in the mid-1960s, 
and served on the Supreme Soviet in 1991.  She is 
married.  She has held positions at the National 
Service for Statistics and the Supreme Council of 
Armenia, as well as in a number of NGOs and most 
recently on the President's Commission on Human Rights. 
ORDWAY