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On February 12, the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs moderated by Hovhannes Sahakyan debated the agenda item of proposing a candidate of the Human Rights Defender (HRD) to the National Assembly.

3 candidates were nominated in the post of the Human Rights Defender: the NA deputies Edmon Marukyan and Hovhannes Margaryan proposed the NA deputy Zaruhi Postnajyan’s candidacy, Tigran Urikhanyan proposed Narek Aloyan’s candidacy, the deputies Hovhannes Sahakyan, Gagik Melikyan, Robert Sargsyan, Hrant Grigoryan, Levon Martirosyan and Vahram Mkrtchyan proposed Arman Tatoyan’s candidacy.

Edmon Marukyan, Tigran Urikhanyan and Hovhannes Sahakyan presented the candidates proposed by them, their passed path and activities, and the candidates submitted the main conceptual provisions that they see while assuming the post of the HRD. Afterwards the candidates answered the questions, which, particularly, related to the HRD-civil society-people link, the complications of the work to be done during the tenure.

The deputies Naira Zohrabyan, Artsvik Minasyan, Levon Martirosyan, Tigran Urikhanyan, Hovhannes Margaryan, Edmon Marukyan, Gagik Jhangiryan and Hovhannes Sahakyan delivered speeches on the HRD candidates.

Out of the candidates proposed in the post of the HRD 5 deputies voted for and 6 deputies against Zaruhi Postanjyan, 2 deputies voted Narek Aloyan's candidacy, and 7 deputies voted for and 4 deputies against Arman Tatoyan's candidacy. Thus, the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs will submit Arman Tatoyan's candidacy to the parliament for the post of the HRD.

The second item of the agenda was on the Order of Proposing Candidate to the National Assembly for Electing in the Post of the Human Rights Defender. According to the order, the representative of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs can give a speech up to 15 minutes, presenting the decision of the Committee on proposing candidate to the National Assembly for being elected in the post of the HRD. During the NA upcoming plenary sitting 30 minutes will be allotted to the candidate of the HRD, then according to the established order, questions will be addressed to him, 15 minutes will be allotted to the representatives of the Committee for the final speeches, and 20 minutes – to the HRD candidate for the final speech.