There are no noticeable changes in the judicial system after 2018: Zhanna Aleksanyan

On 2 November, the Ministry of Justice organized a discussion entitled “Course of Judiciary Reform in Post-Revolution and Post-Election Armenia” with the support of the Open Society Foundations-Armenia within the framework of the program “Partnership for Open Society Initiative”.

The Ministry of Justice reported that the discussion was held “with the participation of more than 50 stakeholders.”

In the conversation with Iravaban.net, Ms Zhanna Aleksanyan, the President of the “Journalists for Human Rights” NGO said that she had participated in those discussions.

“There were discussions related to vetting. It is difficult to get the whole picture, everyone seems to be talking, but in practice we do not see those results,” she said.

Discussions on integrity of judges were important for Zhanna Aleksanyan, “When cases go to court from the preliminary stage, we know what low-quality examinations are carried out. This issue must be solved systematically.”

According to the president of the organization, after 2018, there have been no noticeable changes within the framework of judicial reforms. The problems that existed before 2018 still exist today.

“In my opinion, former minister Rustam Badasyan did not do anything that would be aimed at judicial reforms. He just talked a lot. I do not see any change anywhere. Now a new minister has come and, to be honest, has initiated something. Yes, he also announced judicial reforms, but I do not see significant movements. I think he should work for at least about 6 months to express a clear opinion. I cannot say what will happen next,” she said.

Speaking about vetting of judges, Zhanna Aleksanyan said that the Ministry of Justice should be a leader in that matter. However, this is not only the problem of the Ministry of Justice, the investigative bodies should join. According to hir, the process should be systemic.

Iravaban.net has already referred to the veiled event dedicated to the judicial reforms of the Ministry of Justice and some civil society organizations that have become partners.

To recall that on 1 November, the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia (currently includes 71 civil society organizations) and the Armenian Lawyers Association published two joint expert studies on Integrity Checking and Responsibility of Judges under the extraordinary conditions (of transitional justice) and the Guarantees of Independence and Effective Functioning of the Court.