YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 10, RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian publicized the 2008 annual report on protection of human rights in Armenia in 2008. A. Haroutiunian considers that political system's authoritarianism has an impact on human rights protection in Armenia. At that, it regards both the authorities and the majority of political parties representing the opposition. According to him, Armenia's society is more ready for democratization than country's political system. "Armenian society's problem is getting rid of Bolshevism heritage, which requires much persistence," A. Haroutiunian said. He considers that there are two ways before the country: either through the system of counterbalances and suppressions to build a civil society and to improve protection of human rights, to achieve progress or under conditions of "hegemony" to have indifferent society, formal nature of human rights, which is a deadlock. A. Haroutiunian considers that indifference is Armenia's greatest danger. According to him, it is time for formation of separate political and economic elites cooperating with each other in the country, it is also time to renounce the oligarch system. The Ombudsman also considers that the oligarch capital should admit supremacy of law and return part of things they took away from society coming to a transparent tax sphere. Corruption will reduce as a result of it and society's most part will be turned into the medium stratum living with dignity. "Otherwise society will sooner or later take what is due to it. We propose the concession that will form civilized, free economic relations and will keep the Republic of Armenia away from shocks," the Ombudsman said emphasizing that without a liberal economy it is no use speaking about protection of human rights. "It is time to renounce the culture of "possibilities" in favor of the culture of "law," he stressed. According to the Ombudsman, passing from the administrative-political repressive model to democratic government is a compulsory precondition for country's normal development. According to A. Haroutiunian, the current bases of the repressive system remaining from the Soviet period are especially the Prosecutor's Office and the Special Investigation Service. According to the Ombudsman, its evidence is the working style of the Special Investigation Service, because of which Ombudsman's office receives many complaints that people are made to give confession testimony or testimony against third persons. "Those bodies remained professional in case of subordinating an individual to the state and non-professional in case of ensuring supremacy of law. That non-professionalism is a heavy burden for all of us and first of all for the power system, which, we can say, has become the hostage of that non-professionalism," A. Haroutiunian emphasized. According to Ombudsman's analysis, the atmosphere of fear does not reduce in society in consequence of existence of the repressive system, and getting rid of it is among society's most serious problems. It was mentioned that the judicial system also has system problems, and society's confidence in judicial bodies is inadmissibly low. According to the Ombudsman, the system of democracy, including independent judicial system, can be perfected if only there is an exact willingness to establish democracy. A. Haroutiunian considers alarming the one-sided activity of administrative machinery during the state of emergency in Yerevan from 2008 March 1 to March 20, in consequence of which only the view of the authorities was voiced 20 days running. "There was "no more efficient way" for inflaming the passions and splitting society. Under all conditions and especially after tragic events people can be calmed down and to some extent consolidated only through a many-sided society and not through "brain-washing" with a one-sided agitation," RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian stated.

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