YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The improvement of the effective mechanisms of democratic control in the RA Armed Forces within the frameworks of defensive reforms was referred to during the October 8 meeting of the delegation headed by Thomas Hammerberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, who is in Armenia on a visit, and Mikhail Haroutiunian, the RA MInister of Defence. A number of issues connected with the alternative military service, as well as issues concerning the protection of human rights in the Armed forces reflected in the RA-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) were discussed. According to the message of the Press Service of the RA MInistry of Defence, the parties also discussed issues concerning missing people and prisoners of war. At the end of the meeeting Mikhail Haroutiunian expressed hope that the observations with regard to the protection of human rights in the RA Armed Forces by the guests and the suggestions concerning them will greatly contribute to the right direction of the work being implemented in that direction. According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press Service of the RA Court of Cassation, Thomas Hammerberg had a meeting with Hovhannes Manukian, the Chairman of the Court of Cassation on the same day. A number of issues were raised by Thomas Hammerberg during the meeting, which concerned the investment mechanisms of the precedent decisions of the European Court of the Protection of Human Rights, as well as the problem of the small number of judgements of acquittal by national courts and the imlementation of judicial acts. The five-day official visit of Thomas Hammerberg to Armenia started with the mission of estimating the situation of the human rights in the country. The wide circle of issues concerning the sphere of human rights is in the center of the agenda of the Commissioner, including the work of judicial bodies, the conditions of places of confinement, the prohibition of torture and bad attitude, free speech, as well as many others. The visit to Armenia makes part of the series of visits being paid to all the member states of the Council of Europe, as a result of which an estimation report containing concrete recommendations will officially be presented at the end of the year.

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