Brussels, Belgiam. 19Th March 2026— Kaspar Karampetian, President of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), participated in the “Lawmaking for Democratic Resilience: Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting I” held in Vienna on March 16-17, 2026. The conference, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) under the Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship, brought together over representatives from OSCE participating States, international organizations, and civil society.
Defending Against Defamatory Rhetoric
During the plenary session, President Karampetian delivered a firm rebuttal to a government-aligned NGO from Azerbaijan that attempted to weaponize the platform to spread defamatory accusations against the Armenian nation. The NGO claimed that Armenian school textbooks contain hate speech and historical misinformation targeting Azerbaijanis.
Refuting these baseless claims, Karampetian cited an extensive body of evidence from international human rights organizations and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He highlighted that it is, in fact, Azerbaijan and the Aliyev administration that have been consistently condemned for state-sponsored Armenophobia and the weaponization of ethnic hatred. Karampetian pointed to landmark rulings and monitoring reports—including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisional measures—which order Azerbaijan to prevent the incitement of racial hatred and protect ethnic Armenians from state-led discrimination.
Warning on Armenia’s Internal Democratic Safeguards
The conference focused on how inclusive, transparent lawmaking serves as a safeguard against democratic backsliding, which requires the genuine inclusion of all affected groups and a robust system of checks and balances. In this context, Karampetian expressed grave concern regarding the current state of democracy within Armenia.
He specifically highlighted two critical issues:
- Erosion of Judicial Independence:Karampetian criticized the lack of meaningful judicial reform in Armenia, noting that the executive branch’s excesses have led to a visible erosion of judicial independence. He argued that when the judiciary follows directives from the executive, it ceases to function as a corrective check on legislation, undermining the very essence of democratic lawmaking.
- Sidelining of the Opposition:He noted that the parliamentary opposition in Armenia is consistently sidelined and excluded from real decision-making and lawmaking processes. This lack of representation violates the OSCE principles of participatory democracy, which mandate that all political stakeholders must have a seat at the table to ensure the legitimacy of national laws.
About the Conference
The Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) is a vital OSCE platform for assessing the implementation of human rights commitments. The March 2026 meeting focused on “Lawmaking for Democratic Resilience,” examining how inclusive deliberation, independent oversight, and judicial review can prevent democratic backsliding and strengthen public trust in state institutions.
