The judicial system in Armenia is facing the problem of low levels of public trust. Many Armenians still perceive it as non-transparent and politicised, which undermines faith in the possibility of effective justice. The activities implemented and developed for the third year in a row address this problem and complement the reforms carried out at the legislative level by the central government with a mechanism for citizen control of the standards of judicial proceedings. The aim of the project was to develop and implement a practical mechanism for this control and to create recommendations for the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia.

The project consisted of monitoring court hearings in Armenian courts by young volunteers and developing a report on the work of the courts. The volunteer observers were trained by HAHR. With knowledge of the methodology of monitoring hearings and the prepared auxiliary tool (questionnaire), under the supervision of specialists, they were able to observe them in terms of compliance with national and international standards. The result of these observations was a report with recommendations for changes and a comparative analysis of the results from previous years’ monitoring.  
 
A novelty compared to the previous two editions was the inclusion of the project in the Team Europe Initiative – Resilient Syunik, an initiative coordinated by the European Commission, and the related extension of activities to the province of Syunik bordering Azerbaijan to contribute to sustainable socioeconomic and institutional development of the area. Cooperation between the Armenian partner organization Helsinki Association for Human Rights (HAHR) and the Court Watch Poland Foundation, which conducts similar activities, has also been established.  

Handing out of certificates of participation for trial observers in the presence of project staff and court representatives, Kapan city (Syunik province), July 2023. Photo: Arman Veziryan, HAHR

In 2023, the monitoring covered the cities of Goris and Kapan in Syunik province and, as a follow-up, was also performed in the cities of: Vanadzor (Lorri province), Giumri (Shirak province) and in Yerevan. A total of 108 people followed 798 court hearings in 499 criminal cases in five courts of first instance. The observers also participated in debates with judges and other court staff, which was an opportunity for them to learn more about the problems of the environment. The report prepared by them includes comments on the assessment of the correctness of the work of courts and recommendations for changes. A comparative analysis of the monitoring results from previous years made it possible to trace the corrective actions taken by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and the General Prosecutor’s Office. It also draws attention to the problems hindering the effective functioning of the justice system and suggests how to solve them. In August 2023, the report was presented in Yerevan to judicial institutions, diplomatic missions, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders, as well as pupils and students and representatives of civil society. The publication is available in both Armenian and English on the HAHR website.   

Young observers in Goris city (Syunik province) immediately after participating in debates with the judges and receiving their certificates, July 2023. Photo: Nina Karapetyants, HAHR

The project contributed to the achievement of the 16th Sustainable Development Goal

Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Project co-financed within the framework of the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. 

The Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative is the joint undertaking of the European Union, the European Investment Bank and EU Member States Austria, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden, with Switzerland also joining as an external partner. The initiative aims to contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the Syunik region’.