© 2024. ILLUSTRATION BY PEACE DIALOGUE NGO
For over a decade, Peace Dialogue NGO has been committed to promoting human rights within Armenia’s defense sector. Since 2015, the organization’s monitoring group has regularly assessed human rights conditions in this field. Peace Dialogue also participates in the Coordinating Council overseeing the implementation of the 2023-2025 Action Plan, part of the National Strategy of the Republic of Armenia for the Protection of Human Rights, as outlined in Government Decision No. 1674-L, dated September 28, 2023. The organization also works to identify challenges within the defense sector and foster collaborative efforts to address them.
This report specifically focuses on monitoring the actions planned by the Armenian Government for the 2023-2024 period, with a particular focus on protecting the right to life within the defense sector.
The monitoring process had two primary objectives:
- To assess the relevance of the actions outlined in the Armenian Government’s 2023-2025 Action Plan, derived from the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights.
- To determine whether these actions were implemented as planned and evaluate their contribution to the Government’s overall goals.
According to the 2023-2025 Action Plan, the overarching goal concerning the right to life is to ensure its effective protection in the armed forces, during criminal proceedings, when interacting with law enforcement agencies, while serving a sentence in penitentiary institutions, or when other coercive measures are applied.
EXPECTED IMPACT:
- By the end of 2025, cases of non-statutory relations (including disciplinary and criminal offenses) in the Armed Forces are expected to decrease by at least 15%, based on 2022 statistics (not included in 2023-2025 Action Plan document).
- By the end of 2025, the number of deaths of servicemen and individuals deprived of liberty in non-combat conditions, both in the armed forces and in penitentiary institutions, is expected to decrease by at least 25%, based on 2022 statistics (not included in 2023-2025 Action Plan document).
The Armenian government outlined one key action aimed at protecting the right to life in the armed forces: strengthening the atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect as a crucial component of safeguarding the right to life. To this end:
- Six videos on the importance of military discipline will be developed and distributed through mass media and in high schools (as social videos).
- 100% of psychologist-officers in the Armed Forces will receive specialized training.
For access to the PDF version of the report, please follow the link below: TRACKING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARMENIA’S 2023-2025 HUMAN RIGHTS ACTION PLAN: ACHIEVEMENTS AND GAPS IN RIGHT TO LIFE IN THE ARMED FORCES (PDF, 1 Mb).
The study was conducted by Peace Dialogue NGO with funding provided by the Democracy Development Foundation.
