Independent body to be set up for evaluation of judges — draft for new system submitted to judicial and legal sector representatives

A series of three-day discussions devoted to presentation of the new system of evaluation of judges has been launched, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Judicial Council and the National Assembly and within the scope of the USAID/Armenia Justice Sector Support Project.

Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan delivered an opening speech and emphasised that the reforms in the judicial and legal sector have been among the priorities on the agenda of the Government of the Republic of Armenia since 2018. The Deputy Minister stated that one of the key objectives of these reforms is the ongoing improvement of the judicial system in line with the best international standards, with the ensuring of a higher level of independence, effectiveness and trust in the courts as a benchmark.

According to the Deputy Minister, it is the proposed changes with regard to the system of evaluation of judges that are aimed at meeting these objectives, and they are geared towards reform of the entire system of evaluation of judges and compliance with the international standards.

The Deputy Minister emphasised that importance is attached to the independence, objectivity and effectiveness of the process of evaluation of judges in the Opinions of the Venice Commission and the Consultative Council of European Judges, as well as in the advisory documents and guidelines of other international institutions.

The proposed amendments to the Constitutional Law "Judicial Code" are aimed at setting up an independent body that will conduct evaluation of judges in order to ensure objectivity of the evaluation process. At the same time, the systems of criteria and indicators for the evaluation of judges will undergo reforms, incorporating criteria and indicators that balance the more objective, quantitative and qualitative elements.

One of the key reforms is the fact that the principle of ensuring representation of judge members from all specialisations in the Commission for Performance Evaluation of Judges.

Karen Karapetyan considered as important the active involvement of the entire judicial community in such events in order for them to listen to and consider their valuable observations and possible concerns.

Chairperson of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly Vladimir Vardanyan, Mission Director of USAID/Armenia John Allelo and member of the Supreme Judicial Council Yeranuhi Tumanyants also delivered opening speeches, and other representatives from the National Assembly, the Supreme Judicial Council and from the judicial and legal system participated in the discussion.

During the discussion, members of the working group for reforms in the performance evaluation of judges presented the proposed methodology for evaluating the performance of judges and its effectiveness, as well as the results of the pilot evaluation of judges under the proposed system.

At the same time, international judicial reforms expert George Stavan presented the issues of the existing system of evaluation of judges, as well as the international standards and best practices.

The initiated discussions will continue on 10 and 13 May, making sure judges specialising in administrative, bankruptcy, civil, and criminal law are actively involved in the process.