Monday,
Parliament Majority Leader Sheds Light On Judicial ‘Vetting’
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Lilit Makunts, the parliamentary leader of the ruling My Step bloc,
at a news conference in Yerevan, May 6, 2019.
Lilit Makunts, the parliamentary leader of the ruling My Step alliance, on
Monday gave some details of a mandatory “vetting” of all judges planned by the
Armenian authorities.
Makunts said it will be carried out a state body overseeing Armenia’s courts as
well as a new anti-corruption agency which the authorities are planning to set
up soon.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian moved to purge the judiciary after a Yerevan
court controversially ordered former President Robert Kocharian released from
custody on May 18 pending the outcome of his high-profile trial. Pashinian said
on May 20 that Armenian judges lack public trust and must be vetted based on
their “political ties, origin, property status and activities.”
Makunts stated later in May that pro-government lawmakers are already
finalizing a bill on judicial vetting. No details of the planned legislation
have been made public so far.
Makunts told RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Monday that the National Assembly
will not pass a separate bill on the vetting after all.
“The main process of vetting will be carried out by the Supreme Judicial
Council (SJC),” she said. “But there are issues which are beyond its powers and
they should therefore be dealt with by another body, which will presumably be
the Corruption Prevention Body.”
In her words, parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan has already sponsored a bill
on the creation of the anti-graft body and submitted it to a relevant standing
committee of the parliament.
“We are doing everything to have the SJC launch the [vetting] process already
this autumn,” added Makunts.
The SJC was effectively paralyzed by recent resignations of five of its nine
members. The parliament elected earlier this month two new members of the
judicial watchdog nominated by My Step.
The European Union and the Council of Europe have expressed readiness to assist
in judicial reforms planned by Pashinian’s government. They have stressed that
the reforms must conform to Armenia’s constitution and international
commitments.
Pashinian has repeatedly said that he wants to make the judicial system “truly
independent.” His critics claim, however, he is on the contrary seeking to gain
control over the courts.
Pashinian Warns Of Regional Security Challenges For Armenia
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian holds a meeting of Armenia's Security
Council, Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Monday that Armenia must be “more
vigilant” now in the face of national security challenges emanating from the
surrounding region.
“Unfortunately, since our previous meeting not only has the security
environment around Armenia not been defused but on the contrary there are some
processes taking place in that environment which are prompting us to be more
vigilant,” Pashinian said, opening a meeting of Armenia’s National Security
Council.
He said the council will discuss “current affairs relating to the regional
situation” and make decisions meant to “properly manage security challenges.”
“I am confident that we will be able to find the necessary tools to prevent
additional risks for Armenia or make them manageable," he added.
An official press release on the meeting did not reveal decisions made by the
council comprising Armenia’s top state officials. Nor did it specify whether
Pashinian referred in his opening remarks only to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
or also neighboring Iran’s latest standoff with the United States and increased
tensions between Georgia and Russia.
Iran and especially Georgia have long served as landlocked Armenia’s sole
transport conduits to the outside world.
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian discussed regional security issues with
senior U.S. officials when he visited Washington last week for fresh talks with
his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
Mnatsakanian described his June 20 meeting with John Bolton, U.S. President
Donald Trump’s national security adviser, as “positive, extensive and
engaging.” He also met with David Hale, the U.S. undersecretary of state for
political affairs.
In a statement, the U.S. State Department said the two men discussed the
Karabakh conflict and other “regional challenges and opportunities.” Also, it
said, Hale briefed Mnatsakanian, among other things, on the Trump
administration’s “sanctions policy.”
Bolton discussed with Pashinian Washington’s renewed sanctions against Iran
during an October 2018 visit to Yerevan. Pashinian made clear afterwards that
he will maintain Armenia’s “special” relationship with Iran despite the
sanctions. The Armenian leader visited the Islamic Republic in February.
Armenian Judicial Watchdog Resumes Work
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Deputy Justice Minister Vigen Kocharian, speaks during public
hearings in the parliament, Yerevan, October 17, 2017.
A new, sixth member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) was sworn in on
Monday, enabling the state body overseeing Armenia’s courts to make a quorum
and hold formal meetings.
The SJC, which was established in March 2018, had nine members until the May 24
resignation of its first chairman, Gagik Harutiunian. The latter cited “ongoing
developments relating to the judicial authority” and his “concerns expressed in
that regard.”
Harutiunian’s temporary replacement, Gevorg Danielian, stepped down on June 7.
Three other members of the SJC followed suit in the next few days.
The resignations effectively paralyzed the work of the judicial watchdog just
as Armenia’s government and parliament controlled by it continued to push for a
sweeping reform of the national judiciary.
The National Assembly swiftly filled two of the vacancies in the SJC. The new
council members elected by it are lawyer Grigor Bekmezian and former Deputy
Justice Minister Vigen Kocharian. They both were nominated by the ruling My
Step alliance.
Kocharian formally began performing his duties on Monday, raising to 6 the
current number of the SJC members. The SJC is thus able to meet and make some
decisions affecting the judiciary.
But it is still not allowed to take disciplinary action against judges. The
Armenian Judicial Code stipulates that SJC meetings making such decisions must
be at attended by at least 7 members.
Under the code, the SJC must have 10 members. Half of them are appointed by the
parliament while the other half are chosen by the country’s judges.
As things stand now, the parliament can pick one more member of the SJC, with
the remaining three seats in the council reserved for the judges.
The SJC’s acting head, Sergey Chichoyan, has written to the chairman of
Armenia’s Court of Cassation, Yervand Khundkarian, asking him to organize a
conference of judges for the purpose of electing the three new SJC members. A
spokeswoman for Khundkarian said on Monday that the conference will likely be
held within a month.
Meanwhile, both Bekmezian and Kocharian expressed readiness to assist in the
judicial reform in their new capacity. Bekmezian said the SJC can operate much
more effectively even before a mandatory vetting of all judges planned by the
authorities.
Bekmezian also spoke out against the resignation of four other SJC members who
were appointed under the previous Armenian government.“I don’t think they must
go because I spoke to them and am sure that they too are committed to reforming
the system,” he said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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