Safeguarding impartiality: A call to the United Nations

The International and Comparative Law Center, in cooperation with the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, has joined a coalition of Armenian and international human rights organizations in submitting a joint complaint-report to the United Nations. The submission calls for a review of potential conflicts of interest within the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), particularly in cases involving Armenian detainees.

Addressed to the WGAD, the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures and the President of the UN Human Rights Council, the formal complaint outlines a pattern of financial, political and personal connections linking WGAD member Ganna Yudkivska to the Government of Azerbaijan, alongside a record of alleged ethical concerns. According to the detailed evidence presented, her participation in the case of Ruben Vardanyan is argued to be inconsistent with multiple UN standards, including the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate-holders.