New strategy of judicial reforms does not describe old Armenia as totalitarian or authoritarian state: CC chairman’s advisor

Advisor to the chairman of Constitutional Court, ex-deputy minister of justice Grigor Muradyan says there is no legal document for the implementation of transitional justice in Armenia.

“What is the basis of talks about transitional justice? The opportunity of introducing any model of transitional justice in Armenia is not based on any fact of legal significance. Even the new strategy [2019-2023 strategy of judicial and legal reforms in Armenia], which is difficult to view as a strategy, does not qualify Armenia as totalitarian or tough authoritarian state. On the basis of different reports reference is being made on alleged violations of people’s rights but question raises whether it was proved by legal or judicial act, or not,” Muradyan stated today at the Main Directions of Judicial-Legal Reforms in Armenia discussion.

The CC official described the provision of the strategy that a special commission is to assess whether this or that judicial instance has given right evaluation to the disputes or it resulted in the mass violation of human rights as ridiculous.

“It is ridiculous that it is being spoken about revealing corruption schemes which is a judicial function and must be implemented by the law enforcement bodies. For me it is rather strange that the selected time is September 1991-May 2018. This is completely inexplicable, because if we are speaking about the mass violations, let me remind you the blockade of entrances to courts which resulted in the restriction of fundamental right of availability of courts, right of people to fair trial. Moreover, the call to block the entrances was voiced by the country’s prime minister, many high-ranking officials were involved in the action which resulted in temporary paralyzation of Armenia’s judicial system and Constitutional Court as well,” Muradyan noted.