Skip to main content

Eurasianet

Main Menu

  • Regions
  • Topics
  • Media
  • About
  • Search
  • Newsletter
  • русский
  • Support us
X

Caucasus

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia

Central Asia

Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Conflict Zones

Abkhazia
Nagorno Karabakh
South Ossetia
Transnistria

Eastern Europe

Belarus
Moldova
Russia
The Baltics
Ukraine

Eurasian Fringe

Afghanistan
China
EU
Iran
Mongolia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
X

Arts and Culture

Economy

Politics

Security

Society

Coronavirus
X

Visual Stories

Audio
Interactive
Video

Blogs

Tamada Tales
The Bug Pit

Podcasts

Expert Opinions
The Central Asianist
X
You can search using keywords to narrow down the list.
Armenia

Rights Advocates Strive to Promote Judicial Independence in Armenia

Mar 12, 2004

The lack of the judicial system's independence is rooted in Armenia's post-Soviet constitution, which states that the president is "the guarantor of the independence of the judicial bodies." Such language, in effect, gives the president the ability to appoint and dismiss virtually all judges at will. Conversely, the constitutional provision effectively intimidates judges into making decisions designed to please incumbent executive branch officials, rights advocates say.

Research conducted in 2002 by the American Bar Association's Central and East European Law Initiative rated Armenia negatively on 18 out of the 30 indicators that comprise its Judicial Reform Index (JRI) for formerly Communist nations. Eight of the 12 remaining criteria in Armenia's JRI were rated as "neutral." Among the negative categories were "judicial qualification and preparation," "selection and appointment process," "adequacy of judicial salaries" and "judicial decisions and improper influence."

In comparing Armenia's performance with other CIS states, the JRI for Ukraine gave a negative grade for 12 of the 30 reform criteria. A newly published report on Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, gave negative evaluations in 19 of the 30 categories.

"Bribery is a common problem, caused ... by low judicial salaries, mistrust of the judicial system and historical practice," the Armenia JRI stated. "Judges often get telephone calls from officials, parties and

Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and political analyst.

Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.

Related

Two months after war, dozens of Armenian POWs remain in Azerbaijani captivity
Will Biden take on neglected Caucasus and Central Asia?
Caucasus vaccine effort infected with geopolitics

Popular

Kyrgyzstan: Official says COVID fatalities may be far more than admitted
Ayzirek Imanaliyeva
Uzbek brides find little romance in Korea
Ezoza Yakvalkhodjieva
Central Asia vaccination plans underwhelm, but governments look unruffled

Eurasianet

  • About
  • Team
  • Contribute
  • Republishing
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
Eurasianet © 2021