Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan during a meeting in Brussels with international human rights organizations (Photo: Human Rights Defender of Armenia)

BRUSSELS, Belgium (ArmRadio)—Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia Arman Tatoyan met on Thursday with representatives of about 30 human rights organizations in Brussels. The meeting was organized with support from the European Friends of Armenia.

Tatoyan gave a briefing followed by a debate about human rights in Armenia. He explained the recent support given to his institution, such as immunity for his staff, a permanent representative in the Armenian Parliament, and the new forms of non-governmental organization involvement within his sphere.

“The institution of the Ombudsman in Armenia is now strong and legally protected like no other in Eastern Europe,” Tatoyan said, adding that especially the enhanced cooperation with NGOs in Armenia helps the effectiveness of his work. Key fields of activities are torture prevention, fighting domestic violence, supporting freedom of speech and the legal framework surrounding the upcoming elections.

Tatoyan spoke about the involvement of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic’s Ombudsman in international meetings and presented their report on Azerbaijani atrocities against the .

The Ombudsman said he is ready to hold meetings on any Armenia-related issues, but added that the participation of Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender in Karabakh-related issues is essential, given that human rights issues are not related to politics.

He stressed that human rights recognize no borders and said that “the public and democratic institutions of Artskah should be involved in all international meetings.”

Tatoyan attached importance to the work of journalists in Artsakh, stressing the need to boost the visits to the state.