Experts: Armenia waits for CE's help in solving legal problems

In the opinion of Ovannes Igityan, Board Member of the Armenian All-National Movement, today the Armenian society needs help of international organizations to solve the legal problems that have arisen in the country as a result of the presidential election.

In her turn, Liudmila Sarkisyan, leader of the "Gnchak" Social-Democratic Party, has noted while making comments on the report on the activities of democratic institutes in Armenia, prepared by the PACE's Monitoring Group, that it is important to see after the authorities not to imitate transformations again. She has also expressed satisfaction with the fact that on April 19, after a long pause, the authorities sanctioned a rally, in which representatives of the All-National Movement will take part.

Aram Sarkisyan, Chairman of the "Republic" Party, has told journalists that irrespective of what international organizations would say, the deciding word remains with the Armenian people who would not accept the outcomes of the presidential election on February 19.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has informed that on April 17 the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a report on the situation in democratic institutes of Armenia. The report was approved by 93 votes, eight PACE deputies voted "against" and eight more refrained.

The report prepared by French and English deputies George Colombiet and John Prescott calls on Armenia to settle the current crisis in the country and to take the following urgent measures: hold an independent, fair, transparent and trustworthy investigation of the events on March 1 in Yerevan, and release all the arrested activists of the opposition.

And on April 16, a statement was made at the session of the PACE's Committee for Monitoring that until Armenia fulfils the demand of the report of the PACE's Special Monitoring Group to free all political prisoners and alter the amendments brought recently into the law on holding rallies, the Armenia's membership in the Council of Europe (СЕ) will be questioned. According to the same statement, in case of a failure to fulfil the demand of the report, the PACE can consider, at its summer session, the issue of deprivation of Armenian delegation's vote.