azdararir.am is a unified electronic whistle-blowing platform. If a person has any information about a corruption case, conflict of interest, rules of ethics, incompatibility requirements and other restrictions, violations related to declaration, other damages to public interests, he/she can report it anonymously or by submitting data through this platform.
Whistle-blowing is a written or oral reporting by a whistle-blower to an authorized person or body provided for by this Law of information regarding a case of corruption or a violation in respect of conflict of interests, or rules of ethics or incompatibility requirements, or other restrictions or declaration, or other harm to public interests or the threat thereof within state and local self-government bodies, state institutions and organizations, as well as within public organizations;
If there are grounds for verifying the report, the Prosecutor General’s Office will send the report in documentary form to the body carrying out operative-investigative activity.
It is important to know that Through the unified electronic platform the Republic of Armenia, represented by the authorized body of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, shall guarantee the protection of a whistle-blower, ensuring his or her anonymity. Anonymity of a whistle-blower shall be guaranteed through the unified electronic platform, by coding his or her Internet Protocol Address. And this is defined by Law of the Republic of Armenia “On the system of whistle-blowing”, Article 8, point 3.
This is how you can report anonymously and openly:
There are many ways to hide the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your device, depending on the operating system you’re using. This section presents the most common methods.
How to hide Internet Protocol Address of your device
The most common methodes:
Tor Browser (Windows, macOS, Linux)
1․ Download Tor Browser from https://www.torproject.org website, install and run it.
2․ When you run Tor Browser for the first time, you will see the Tor Network Settings window. This offers you the option to connect directly to the Tor network, or to configure Tor Browser for your connection. In most cases, choosing Connect will allow you to connect to the Tor network without any further configuration.
Opera (Windows, macOS, Linux)
1․ Download Opera browser from https://www.opera.com website, install and run it.
2․ Go to Settings. To open the Opera menu on Windows or Linux, click the Opera logo button in the top-left corner of the Opera browser. At the bottom of the menu, you will find a link to Settings. To open the Opera menu on Mac, click Opera in the toolbar. Here, the settings page is under the name Preferences.
3․ Click Advanced in the left sidebar, and click Features.
4․ Under VPN, turn on Enable VPN. When you enable VPN, it starts automatically, and the blue VPN badge appears in the combined address and search bar. Click on the badge, and you will see an on/off switch, information about the amount of data transferred, the virtual location, and the the virtual IP address.
Onion Browser (iOS)
1․ Download Onion Browser from App Store, install and run it. The Onion Browser can be used immediately after the start. A device IP address will be hidden without any additional settings.
Tor Browser for Android (Android)
1․ Download Tor Browser for Android from Google Play, install and run it.
2․ Every time you run the Tor Browser for Android, you need to click the Connect button to connect to the Tor network and hide the IP address of your device.
Let’s also see the statistics about announcements on azdararir.am in 2019-2022.
During 2019, RA Prosecutor General’s Office received 188 reports through the unified electronic whistle-blowing platform. 153 of the 188 reported cases, were anonymous. In 97 cases, a notification procedure was initiated, in 91cases, the initiation of the procedure was rejected. Out of the whistle-blowing proceedings, 21 were terminated, 59 were sent to the operative-investigative body to check the report, 17 were sent according to subordination. A criminal case was initiated in 5 cases of whistle-blowing, all of which were received anonymously. Proceedings of all the above criminal cases have been dismissed.
During 2020, RA Prosecutor General’s Office received 140 reports through the whistle-blowing system. 119 of the 140 reported cases, were anonymous. In 91 cases, a notification procedure was initiated, in 33, the initiation of the procedure was rejected. Out of the whistle-blowing proceedings, 24 were terminated, 86 were sent to the operative-investigative body to check the report, 15 were sent according to subordination. A criminal case was initiated in 1 case of whistle-blowing, which was received anonymously. A criminal case was initiated under Article 308, Part 1 of the Former Criminal Code. The criminal case is currently under investigation.
During 2021, although a decrease in the number of reports received through the whistle-blowing system was recorded, the proportion of criminal cases initiated on the basis of reports increased significantly. Thus, in 2021, the Prosecutor General’s Office of RA received 75 reports through the whistle-blowing system, 68 of which related to cases of apparent corruption. 70 of the 75 reported cases, were anonymous. In 59 cases, a notification procedure was initiated, in 16 cases the initiation of the procedure was rejected. Out of the whistle-blowing proceedings, 32 were terminated, 47 were sent to the operative-investigative body to check the report. A criminal case was initiated in case of 10 reports, 9 of which were received anonymously, and one with indication of the data.
In 2022, 116 reports were received through the electronic reporting system, 74 of which were anonymous, in case of 82 notification procedure was initiated, and 34 were rejected. A criminal case was initiated in 9 cases of whistle-blowing, all of which were received anonymously.
It should be emphasized that no cases of measures applied for the protection of whistle-blowers were recorded.
We do not forget that whistle-blowers are not “snitchers”, they are decent and law abiding citizens.
This publication has been prepared within the framework of the “Multifaceted Whistle-Blowing Promotion in Armenia” implemented by the Armenian Lawyers Association with the support of the Open Government Partnership. Within the framework of the project, it is also planned to create an alternative Whistle-Blowing Platform operated by Civil Society. In addition, a multi-stakeholder working platform for whistle-blowing has already been established, which will serve as a platform for promoting reforms and dialogue of CSOs and related bodies.