It is obvious to me why the Ministry of Justice works with the Soros Foundation and satellite NGOs, they do not want a positive result for our state, our people: Gevorg Manukyan

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.”

Gevorg Manukyan, President of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Center NGO, had not received an invitation.

On 5 November, the Ministry of Justice had organized discussions on Constitutional reforms as well.

The official statement of the Ministry says that the Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan discussed the directions of organizing the process of constitutional reforms and the formation of the Commission on Constitutional Reform (Committee) with more than 40 deputies, law scholars, heads and representatives of parties, international and non-governmental organizations.

“We propose to form a Commission on Constitutional Reforms, which will include representatives of 3 parliamentary forces, 3 extra-parliamentary forces, 3 non-governmental organizations and a number of state structures: Minister of Justice, Representative of the Republic of Armenia in the European Court of Human Rights, Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, representative of the Supreme Judicial Council, Human Rights Defender. The Board will select 5 scientific experts – neutral, non-political orientated lawyers, who will carry out the most important professional work – the development of the concept, and further the draft of the Constitutional reforms,” Karen Andreasyan said.

In the conversation with Iravaban.net, Gevorg Manukyan, President of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Center NGO, said that he had received an invitation, but could not participate.

“The question is what they want to do with our Constitution, no normal changes have been made. Our current Constitution with all its changes must be thrown away and a new Constitution must be developed. I recently sent a separate letter to the minister justifying it,” he said

Speaking about the working style of the Ministry of Justice, he mentioned that there is no cooperation at all. According to him, judicial reform without a new Constitution is simply meaningless.

“We see the state of the judiciary. It is necessary to give full independence to the judiciary constitutionally,” the President of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Center NGO said.

Gevorg Manukyan also referred to the fact that the discussion was held with the support of the Open Society Foundations-Armenia within the framework of the program “Partnership for Open Society Initiative”.

“People give that organization another name – Soros Foundation. It is known that it has satellite NGOs. But this time I was also invited, I suppose I worked as an expert on constitutional reforms, that’s why I was invited. However, it is obvious why they work with those NGOs. They really do not want a positive result for our state, our people. The same NGOs were carrying out an observation mission during the last elections. They shamelessly approved that there was no violation. The soldiers obviously came in and took the prepared envelopes. They made themselves even more disgraced by declaring that there was no violation,” he said.

According to Gevorg Manukyan, at least attempts had been made to work with the Ministry of Justice before.

“Millions have been wasted for 30 years, ostensibly for judicial reforms, but what reforms, we do not see what is being done? The courts, the prosecutor’s office, the police system are the most corrupt,” Gevorg Manukyan, the President of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Center NGO said.

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.