Issues related to the procedure for appealing decisions of the Supreme Judicial Council, directions for reforms related to the Constitutional Court and progress of reforms of the judicial and legal strategy discussed with representatives of non-governmental organisations

The concluding discussion on the directions of the Strategy for Judicial and Legal Reforms was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan. Concluding analytical discussions on the directions for envisaging the procedure for appealing decisions of the Supreme Judicial Council, introducing the necessary mechanisms for the implementation of fact-finding activities, the areas for reforms related to the Constitutional Court and the course of judicial and legal reforms were held with representatives of non-governmental organisations. In the context of making the process of developing and adopting the Strategy as participatory as possible, the problems raised by civil society representatives, the proposals and opinions that were expressed in regard to those problems were inventoried, and the future directions for activities were predetermined.

During the discussion, Deputy Minister Minasyan particularly stated that international counters indicate the issue of envisaging a procedure for appealing decisions of the Supreme Judicial Council. In this regard, a discussion has already been organised with the members of the Supreme Judicial Council and the judges of various court instances of the Republic of Armenia, as a result of which the following four possible options were considered: appealing a decision of the Supreme Judicial Council to the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council, appealing to the Constitutional Court, appealing to the Court of Cassation or appealing to a new independent body to be established.

Within the framework of the agenda, the process of judicial and legal reforms was also touched upon, and an agreement was reached to organise a more inclusive and broad discussion in the near future in order to identify possible directions for the introduction of mechanisms that are necessary for the implementation of fact-finding activities.