Research and Analysis

It seems encouraging and uplifting that the MoD places importance on human rights issues and that transparency and civilian control are Defense Ministry priorities. It is still not clear how these fundamental democratic changes can be achieved when the “Law on Military Service and the Status of Military Servicemen” is still in force despite having been criticized by civil society. The law, as well as the “Nation-Army” concept (which is still functioning) contains many risks and does not ensure sufficient involvement of different civil society groups.

The publication was primarily created to support the staff of organizations working in the field of peacebuilding; it shows them how to apply theater tools in their work. It places emphasis on the analysis of the effectiveness of some tools depending on work context, group interests and the outlook or views of activity beneficiaries. The material can serve as a resource for all persons interested in peacebuilding and the Theater of the Oppressed. Besides this, the manual may also be helpful for those who are taking their first steps in developing peacebuilding projects.

The monitoring group formed within the scope of the “Proactive Civil Society Participation in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Armenian Military Forces” initiative is comprised of seven representatives of Human Rights and Media NGOs. 

Recently in the website of the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Armenia a material has been published under the headline “The head of the former investigative group and the forensic expert on the March 1 criminal case have been involved as accused for falsification of evidence”. According to the material, during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case of the incidents of March 1, 2008, the head of the investigative group, together with the investigators, Police officers, and experts involved in the case falsified case-related evidences by substituting the bullets shot from guns belonging to units of Armed Forces for bullets released from the those belonging to the Police.

Dear visitors, Peace Dialogue NGO has released a step-by-step guide for future conscripts called “Human Rights in the Armed Forces.” The guide has been developed based on the issues raised by citizens, who have applied to Peace Dialogue NGO over the past years. That is to say, the authors tried to introduce pre-conscription and conscription aged young people to their rights concerning the compulsory military conscription, as well as the service itself, in an easier and more comprehensive way.

Period: April – June 2018
The newly formed government presented its program to the National Assembly, which was approved by a majority vote on June 7. A key argument against the program was that it bore a resemblance to a wish list with zero measurability. During the Parliamentary session on the government project, Deputy Prime Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated that an action plan to clarify the terms of implementation and the measurability of their outcomes was under development and would soon be presented.

January – March 2018
Three of the four fractions of the RA Parliament – the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the Tsarukyan Alliance and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)- avoided responding to the inquiry initiated by “Peace Dialogue” NGO regarding the “Nation-Army” concept.