PACE welcomes lifting of two provisions of emergency rule in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), rapporteur for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the Armenian elections, welcomed the lifting of two provisions of the state of emergency declaration by the Armenian authorities following his visit to Armenia last week.



"I especially welcome the lifting of the suspension of the activities of political parties and NGOs, which I specifically called for during my visit. I now call upon the authorities to lift the remaining provisions of the declaration of the state of emergency, especially those that limit the freedom of the media. I reiterate my conclusion that the only manner in which the current crisis can be resolved is through the recognition of the authority of the Constitutional Court and its ruling on the outcome of the presidential elections, the lifting of the state of emergency and the restoration of individual Human Rights and Freedoms, the establishment of an independent inquiry into the circumstances that led to the events on 1 March 2008 and the start of a dialogue between all political forces on the necessary political and electoral reform," said Mr Prescott.



John Prescott will report on his findings and conclusions to the President of the Assembly at the meeting of the PACE Bureau in Paris on 13 March 2008.