© 2018. ILLUSTRATION BY PEACE DIALOGUE NGO
With the grant provided within the scope of the Program “A Positive Change through Civil Society Empowerment” developed by Open Society Foundations – Armenia, Peace Dialogue NGO has initiated a project directed to the prevention of cases of torture against persons involved in criminal proceedings at the Military Police Departments. The duration of the program named “Ensuring the Right of Protection from Torture for People Brought to the Military Police as Suspects and Witnesses as a Result of Incidents Recorded in the Armed Forces, within the Frames of Criminal Proceedings” will be nine months. The overall budget of the program will constitute 7, 989 USD.
In the frames of the Project, PD will try to disclose the faults in the national legislation regulating the area from the point of view of the protection of citizens’ rights of freedom from torture and disclose the discrepancies between international documents ratified by the RA and proposals made by international institutions involved in the field. Besides, the Project Staff will also present suggestions on legal reforms in the sphere, which will be aimed at raising the public awareness on the topic and promoting positive changes in the law-enforcement practice.
The basic issues of human rights protection in the Armed Forces have always been in the spotlight of human rights defenders; it has been constantly stated that human rights and fundamental freedoms, set both in national and international legal acts, are being grossly violated in the Army. Over the years, in the phases of preliminary investigation and trial, PD has been assisting the families of seven soldiers who died in non-combat conditions. The experience gained by the organization in this field demonstrates that especially the military servicemen and citizens brought to garrison Military Police Departments are most vulnerable from the point of view of legal protection.
In order to achieve the set goal, PD will conduct an analysis of national legislation and international legal acts and norms regulating the field, will carry out a systematic documentation of cases of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment against persons involved in criminal proceedings at the Military Police Departments, and will develop and publish brief newsletters on the mentioned cases. On the basis of the implemented study and analysis of the obtained information on cases of violation of the right of freedom from torture, a report will be prepared and a discussion will be held with the involvement of representatives of the RA MoD, Ministry of Justice, General Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee, Special Investigation Service, and human rights defense organizations, as well as representatives of international institutions involved in the field.
The project is implemented with the grant provided within scope of the Program “A Positive Change through Civil Society Empowerment”.
The program “A Positive Change through Civil Society Empowerment”is financed by OSF Armenia in cooperation with Public Policy Institute and the Union of Informed Citizens.
