Ombudsman office ready for local self-government elections

The office of Armenia’s human rights defender will support the 2012 local self-government elections.The regional offices established under the EU-funded project are ready to respond to any alert and provide legal assistance. A free hotline (116) will be launched to receive calls of the citizens.
Although the project was intended only for the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012 and 2013, the Ombudsman’s office will use its experience and resources to lend assistance during the local self-government elections.
To note, OSCE Office in Yerevan launched a European Union-funded project in 2012 to enhance the capacities of the Human Rights Defender’s Office (HRDO) in advance of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012 and 2013.The project envisaged establishing six regional offices, supporting a hotline to report alleged human rights violations and establishing rapid reaction groups to ensure prompt response to alleged human rights violations during the elections and pre-election campaigns.