Armen Harutyunyan ( hy, Արմեն Հարությունյան; born 1964) is the former
ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
of Armenia and Regional Representative of the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...
in Central Asia. He took office in February 2011. In 2015, he was elected Judge at the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
and is a judge since 17 December 2015.
Armen Harutyunyan is the author of more than 70 scientific works. He is married and has two children.
Harutyunyan was born in 1964 in Yerevan. He holds law degrees from Yerevan State University, the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of USSR and the Academy of Public Administration of the Russian Federation.
In 1989-2002 he lectured in law at Yerevan State University;
From 1993 to 1997 studied Doctoral Studies at the Academy of Public Administration, adjunct to the President of Russian Federation and obtained the degree of Doctor of Law (equivalent to Senior Juris Doctor).
Starting from 1997 he continued his education at European universities Central European University, Paris 12 University, University of Nottingham (School of Law, Human Rights Law Center) as well as at the European Court of Human Rights with main focuses on Constitutional Law, European Law and Human Rights.
From 1989 till now Armen Harutyunyan has been lecturing at the Law Department of Yerevan State University. From 1997-2005 he was working as a legal advisor at the Constitutional Court of RA.
Also from 1997 he was legal advisor at the Constitutional Court, and in the constitutional reform of 2005 he was a representative of former President
Robert Kocharian
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from ...
.
["Armenian Ombudsman Asks For Armed Protection"](_blank)
Armenia Liberty (RFE/RL
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
), July 7, 2008. In 2002-06 he was rector of the Public Administration Academy.
In 2000 he became a member of the Commission established to assess the compatibility of the Armenian Legislation with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) during the process of Armenia's joining the Council of Europe.
From 2002 to present Armen Harutyunyan was the Deputy Representative of Armenia in the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commissio
Member States of Venice Commission Representative from Armenia is
Gagik Harutyunyan
Gagik Garushi Harutyunyan ( hy, Գագիկ Գարուշի Հարությունյան; born 23 March 1948) is an Armenian politician and jurist who served as the president of the Constitutional Court of Armenia from 1996 to 2018. He served as Prime ...
.
He is a member of the Association of European Law of Armenia.
Ombudsman
On 17 February 2006, Harutyunyan was elected for a six-year term as the
Human Rights Defender
A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...
(ombudsman) of Armenia, with more than 3/5 of the votes of deputies in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
. He was the first elected holder of the post in accordance with 83.1 article of Constitution, succeeding
Larisa Alaverdyan
Larisa Alaverdyan ( hy, Լարիսա Ալավերդյան; born 21 September 1943), is an Armenian pedagogue and politician who served as the first Human Rights Defender of Armenia (Ombudsman), member of the National Assembly between 2007 and 2012 ...
who had been appointed to the office by presidential decree in 2004.
In an extensive report in April 2008, Harutyunyan cast doubt on the credibility of the official (government) theory on the use of lethal force against thousands of supporters of opposition leader
Levon Ter-Petrosian
Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan ( hy, Լևոն Հակոբի Տեր-Պետրոսյան; born 9 January 1945), also known by his initials LTP, is an Armenian politician who served as the first president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998 ...
who barricaded themselves outside the Yerevan mayor’s office hours after the break-up of their
10-day sit-in in the city’s Liberty Square on March 1.
On 7 July 2008, Harutyunyan asked the National Security Service (NSS) to assign armed bodyguards to him and members of his family.
He was succeeded as ombudsman by Karen Andreasyan, who was elected by the National Assembly in March 2011.
In 2008, Armen Harutyunyan joined the
Association of French-Speaking Ombudsmen and Mediators
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
.
In 2009, he became a Board Member of the European Ombudsman Institute.
See also
*
Armenia in the Council of Europe
Armenia has been a member of the Council of Europe, an international organization that focuses on strengthening democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe, since 2001.
Accession
Article 4 of the Council of Europe Statute specif ...
References
External links
Human Rights Defender of Armenia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harutyunyan, Armen
1964 births
Armenian human rights activists
Ombudsmen in Armenia
Living people
Jurists from Yerevan
Judges of the European Court of Human Rights
Armenian judges
Armenian judges of international courts and tribunals