  CoE Anti-Racism Commission reports no hostility towards ethnic minorities and non-nationals in Armenia February 8, 2011 - 20:18 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published a new report on Armenia. ECRI’s Chair, Nils Muiznieks, said that, while there have been improvements, there are still some concerns in the areas, for example, of religious freedom and refugees’ social rights. There is no hostility vis-à-vis ethnic minorities and non-nationals. By the same token, there is little or no evidence of anti-Muslim feeling. The authorities refrain from taking sides in disputes concerning identity, notably the one between Yezidis and Kurds. Finally, there is new legislation on asylum and those who used to enjoy temporary protection have now been recognised as refugees. However, there are obvious dangers of intolerance in the field of religious freedom. The involvement of the National Security Service in this area is difficult to justify. The alternative service is too long. Plans to make the law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations more restrictive should be abandoned. The anti-discrimination legislation needs strengthening and the budget of the Human Rights Defender’s Office is insufficient. There should be an independent mechanism for dealing with complaints against the police. Ethnic minorities are given support to preserve their language, culture and heritage. However, the system for the distribution of grants does not reflect their real needs. Additional measures should be taken to provide them with better education opportunities. The UNHCR bears most of the brunt of caring for refugees and asylum-seekers, who should be better informed about their rights. Although progress has been made to provide them with proper accommodation, some families still live in inadequate conditions. In its report, ECRI makes a number of recommendations, among which the following three will be revisited in two years’ time: reduce the length of alternative service by six months; change the system for the distribution of grants to ethnic minorities; re-house all refugee families living in non-renovated accommodation in the Nor-Nork centre.   Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
