Back Council of Europe supports the improvement of the institute of legal incapacity with regards to mental health issues

EXPERT DISCUSSION ON THE EXECUTION OF THE JUDGEMENT OF ECTHR CASE-LAW “NIKOLYAN VS ARMENIA”
Council of Europe supports the improvement of the institute of legal incapacity with regards to mental health issues

The issue of protection of rights of persons with disabilities is given a significant importance by the Council of Europe as the European Convention on Human Rights protects the rights and dignity of all members of the society without any discrimination. Unfortunately, people with disabilities are often among those who are left further behind, especially those with mental health problems, due to stigma that still exist in the society. That is why the protection of rights of persons with mental health issues, that may lead to incapacity to take decisions or take care of yourself, is very actual and important. It is crucial to ensure that any person retain his or her autonomy and decision-making capacity at the largest extend possible.

To discuss the protection issues of the persons with mental health issues recognized as legally incapable, as well as to contribute to the execution of the judgment of the ECtHR case-law “Nikolyan vs. Armenia”,  the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, in close cooperation with the Office of the Representative on International Legal Matters of the Republic of Armenia, organised an expert discussion on “The Rights of Persons being Declared as Legally Incapable as a Result of Mental Health issues”, with participation of relevant national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Human Rights Defender’s Office.

The case “Nikolyan v. Armenia” brought before the European Court of Human Rights showed that although certain safeguards were put in place in Armenia to ensure protection of persons with mental incapacities, the Armenian legal framework should be further enhanced to ensure better protection of this group of population, allowing a human-centred approach based on individual characteristics of a person and his or her mental health condition, supporting and empowering the person to understand, consider and communicate decisions on his/her own as much as it is possible. It also includes the obligation of the society to protect people with mental disabilities from any form of discrimination. This means that there is a need to develop and put in place at the national level mechanisms that would allow supported decision-making, and as an interim measure - or a possibility for any intermediate form of limitation of legal capacity, etc.   

The discussion aimed at proposing recommendations by international and national consultants of the Council of Europe on the improvement of the legal framework of Armenia with regards to the rights of persons recognized as legally incapable as a result of mental health issues.

The discussion significantly contributed to the social reform agenda of the Government of the Republic of Armenia in the context of the protection of rights of persons with mental health issues and provided an effective platform for a discussion and exchange of views between respective state institutions on the revision of the institute of legal incapacity according to international standards.

The expert discussion was organised by the Council of Europe Cooperation Project on “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine II” implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 5 FEBRUARY 2024
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page

The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation, with 46 member states, including Armenia. All our member states are party to the European Convention on Human Rights, which is the cornerstone of human rights protection in Europe.

The Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, represents the Secretary General in Armenia. It closely co-operates with national authorities supporting the implementation of statutory obligations to the Council of Europe by Armenia through co-operation projects.


 

Armenia and the Council of Europe – bringing human rights from the conference table to your kitchen table

The Council of Europe works for you. We want to give visibility to the role, standards and work of the Council of Europe in its member states, to show how Council of Europe membership has helped achieve particular results or changes. Our aim, through a variety of events and actions, is to highlight ways in which the Council of Europe’s action has helped improve the life of individuals and contributed to improving people’s enjoyment of fundamental rights.

 

Whether it is the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights at national level, or the Council of Europe's work in many fields, such as working to abolish the death penalty or to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of the media, or to adress online and technology-facilitated violence against women through the Istanbul Convention and Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, the Council of Europe has achieved a lot since 1949. View achievements »