PUBLICATIONS

During the period from July to September 2023, Peace Dialogue’s monitoring group conducted a series of surveys. These surveys targeted individuals who had taken part in military training sessions at various intervals, with the goal of gathering comprehensive insights into the human rights conditions experienced during these training sessions.

This study represents a modest contribution to the peacebuilding efforts in the region, offering a nuanced understanding of the societal impact of the conflict. The research illustrates the risks of an overly narrow and top-down ‘normalization’ process that fails to address the popular concerns identified here and points to problems with the sustainability of a ‘thin’ peace treaty and process that neglects these issues.

Peace Dialogue NGO’s study was designed to critically assess human rights norms and conscripts’ perceptions of military service in Armenia during the summer conscription of 2023. The initiative aimed to bridge the policy-practice gap in the realm of military service and human rights.

In the context of the “Developing Inclusive Oversight of Security” (DIOS) project in Armenia, an initiative running from December 2021 to June 2024, the Centre for European Security Studies (CESS) of The Netherlands, in collaboration with Peace Dialogue NGO in Armenia, has released a new policy brief. This brief carries the symbolic title: “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Security Sector Oversight in Armenia.” It delves into the realm of democratic oversight of Armenia’s security sector, evaluating its capacity for effective oversight, interagency cooperation in holding the government accountable, and the prevailing culture of oversight.

This report aims to shed light on the international legal frameworks that should guide the establishment of national regulations regarding former POWs and the application of laws to safeguard the rights of former prisoners of war. Extensive research has been conducted to examine international experiences and mechanisms for protecting the rights of former POWs and implementing them effectively.

We are pleased to present the comprehensive report prepared by Peace Dialogue NGO, based on precise monitoring conducted from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. This undertaking was initiated at the outset of 2020, with the primary objective of highlighting the significant role of civil society in shaping and implementing state policies pertaining to the protection of human rights within the Armed Forces.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, escalated tensions around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and rising tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have confirmed for many people the well-known notion of “might makes right.” This approach legitimizes the inevitability of violence and “the right of the strongest” while casting doubt on the possibility of peaceful conflict resolution.

However, at Peace Dialogue, we believe that peaceful and democratic societies are possible, and we remain committed to our mission of fostering the protection of human rights, promoting multi-layered dialogue, and building democracy and democratic institutions in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies, both locally and internationally.