Anthony Godfrey: Free and fair elections are Armenia's international obligationFebruary 27, 2007 - 14:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - On February 27, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia began a three-day seminar on "Election Fraud and Related Corruption, International Standards, and Criminal Procedure Issues." The Press Office of American Embassy told the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist that approximately 70 representatives of the Armenian Police, Prosecutor General's Office, Central Election Commission, Territorial Election Commission, Ombudsman's Office, and First Instance and Review courts are participating in the seminar series. "Free and fair elections are not only a political commitment expressed by the Government of Armenia, but also an international legal obligation for Armenia under the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court in Strasbourg. Election fraud undermines the social and political framework of a country," during the opening session, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Anthony F. Godfrey remarked. As a follow up to the three-day seminar, the U.S. Mission will send six prosecutors and two Central Election Commission members to the United States for additional training. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan. Ucom General Director joins High-Tech Development Panel Discussion The discussion was titled "The Role of International Corporations and Investors as Catalysts for Development of High-Tech Ecosystem." U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says. Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. |