Monday 28 May 2012

IWPR: "Gay Rights Under Attack in Armenia". Ombudsman has designed a "strategy"?

"Firebombing of bar, and the approval it met with, are telling indicators of hostility towards sexual minorities." - writes IWPR, rightly stressing on pretty scandalous approval of anti-gay violence and terror on a very high official levels.

[Read, for example: Terrorists as ‘national heroes’? Armenia ruling Republican party spokesman and MP explicitly support firebombers of DIY bar in capital Yerevan and encourage anti-gay attacks]

My attention grabbed, however, the concluding paragraph re Ombudsman office actions:
The office of Armenia’s official human rights ombudsman has designed a strategy to protect sexual minorities, including legal and procedural reforms ensuring access to justice. It has also proposed ways to prevent violence against homosexuals in prisons, to prevent discrimination in the workplace, and to bar anti-gay propaganda from the media.
I knew that Ombudsman office is working on some of the mentioned issues. However, I am not aware of such a comprehensive "strategy" (I wish!). Forgive my scepticism, but until I see it, and not only in paper but in action, I will treat such information with caution.