FIRST LONDON-YEREVAN TV BRIDGE HELD BETWEEN LAWYERS
Noyan Tapan
Ma y 13, 2008
YEREVAN, MAY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The first London-Yerevan TV bridge
held between Armenian and British lawyers, as Ruben Sahakian, the
Chairman of the RA Chamber of Lawyers, explained, is implemented
under a program aimed at assisting Armenian lawyers in the issue of
introducing more literate, high-quality complaints to the European
Court. "It is a unique way of exchanging experience, which will
reduce the financial expenditures," the Chamber Chairman said adding
that there is already an agreement to develop similar cooperation
with lawyers of France and Belgium. R. Sahakian also said that on
May 12 the RA Chamber of Lawyers uniting 718 lawyers will become an
observing member of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe
(CCBE) (only country-members of the European Union can become a full
member of it), representatives of that international lawyer structure
will visit Armenia in September. R. Sahakian expressed satisfaction
with the fact that soon the Armenian Chamber of Lawyers, in its turn,
will be able to assist its Karabakh colleagues, to hold seminars with
a number of post-Soviet countries.
The TV bridge was held within the framework of the memorandum of
cooperation in the spheres of human rights and permanent law education
signed between the British East-West Centre organization and the RA
Chamber of Lawyers in January 2007.
All technical means for holding the TV bridge were got with the
financing of the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland in RA. The program was worked out with the joint
efforts of the latter, the British East-West Centre, and RA lawyers in
consideration of the proposals of lawyers having introduced complaints
to the European Court of Human Rights. The program’s goal is to be
in a direct contact through Internet with London lawyers specialized
in the issue of applying to the European Court, to hold with them
discussions of Armenian lawyers’ questions regarding concrete cases.
Among the seven questions raised during the TV bridge was, in
particular, the question of whether the relatives of Murad Bojolian
sentenced with the accusation of espionage can introduce a claim
of additional compensation of expenditures to the European Court,
negligence in connection with institution of a case against a lawyer,
the issue of applying to the European Court with the basis of violation
of the reasonable terms of case examination, and the bases and details
of applying to the European Court in connection with other cases.
The case on the fact of dismissing a YSU political science lecturer for
expressing an anti-governmental position was also touched upon. In this
connection the British specialists expressed an opinion that the basis
of Article 6 of the Convention, the right of fair judicial enquiry,
would be liable if we had a person carrying out a state function:
according to the British specialists, a lecturer does not carry
out a state function. On the occasion of the case they can apply to
the European Court with the basis of Article 10 of the Convention,
freedom of expression.