Speech

Universal Periodic Review 49: UK Statement on Armenia

Statement by the UK's Ambassador for Human Rights to the UN, Eleanor Sanders, at Armenia's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Eleanor Sanders
Published
2 May 2025
Location:
Geneva
Delivered on:
(Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)
Eleanor Sanders

Thank you, Mr President,

The UK welcomes the positive steps taken by Armenia since its 2020 review, particularly strengthening of the domestic violence law in 2024, which offers a robust framework for addressing domestic violence.

We also welcome Armenia abolishing the death penalty in all circumstances and their positive trajectory on media freedom.

However, we remain concerned about reported incidences of continued discrimination, hate speech and attacks against LGBT+ individuals.

We recommend that Armenia:

  1. Implements an anti-discrimination law protecting sexual orientation and gender identity in all sectors to combat LGBT+ hate crimes and hate speech.

  2. Ratifies the Istanbul Convention to protect women from violence and domestic abuse.

  3. Implements a plan for community-based services to protect and include persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities.

Thank you.

Updates to this page

Published 2 May 2025