Armenian authorities should fully respect the principle of freedom of assembly, according to PACE rapporteurs

John Prescott and Georges Colombier, co-rapporteurs on Armenia’s monitoring for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), expressed their concern about the refusal of the authorities to allow the Armenian National Congress (HAK) to organize a peaceful rally in central Yerevan on 1 March 2009. Office of the Council of Europe in Azerbaijan told APA they stressed that the Assembly has on several occasions called upon the authorities to fully respect the principle of freedom of assembly in Armenia and not to place undue restrictions, especially with regard to the requested venues, upon peaceful rallies organized by the opposition. In their view, the possibility for all political forces to organize peaceful rallies is an essential component of democracy and therefore they call upon the authorities to allow such peaceful rallies to take place unimpeded in the requested venues.