Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Attaching importance to proper and timely implementation of actions of 2019-2023 Strategy of Judicial and Legal Reforms of the Republic of Armenia, HCA Vanadzor conducts the relevant monitoring. On 25 May 2020, HCA Vanadzor published a report regarding the process of implementation of actions planned by 2019-2020 Action Plan of 2019-2023 Strategy of Judicial and Legal Reforms of the Republic of Armenia and actions to be implemented  in 2019 and by the first quarter of 2020. 

Continuing monitoring of actions planned under the Action Plan, the Organization presents a summary assessment of actions subject to implementation during 2019-2020. 

Decision N 1441-Լ adopted by the RA Government on 19 October 2019 approved  2019-2023 Strategy of Judicial and Legal Reforms of the Republic of Armenia and its 2019-2020, and 2021-2023 Action Plans, and the entailing action plan of establishing unified electronic system of justice and measures aimed at ensuring and updating electronic databases.

 In the frame of this report, 69 short-term actions subject to be implemented in 2020 in line with the Strategy were reviewed.

According to our studies, only 23% of actions to be implemented in 2019-2020 were implemented, 35% were not implemented at all, and the rest are partly implemented actions, repeated actions or actions not stemming from the Strategy.

The following issues were recorded in Reports, Semi-Annual Reports of the Coordinating Council and annual summary report concerning the Action Plan established by the Strategy:

1. A number of actions established by the Action Plan of the Strategy are not actions, but rather, strategic directions, which are not sufficiently certain, contain declarative formulations; thus it is unclear which legal regulations are to be changed.
   
   

2. Some actions are formulated in the line of strategic directions, while no relevant information is available in the relevant table.
   
   

3. 15 actions established by the Action Plan were not implemented or their implementation was postponed as a result of the martial law declared in the Republic of Armenia, and the Covid-19 pandemic. No change was made in the timeline of implementation of actions, and the reports do not contain any information regarding the time limits for implementation of postponed actions.
   
   

4. Previous Action Plans were not assessed; achievements and causes of failures were not identified.
   
   

5. A number of actions have the status “implemented”, yet there is no specific presentation of actions taken to implement the mentioned measure.
   
   

6. The reports do not present reasons for not implementing certain actions, which contradicts the principle of accountability towards the public.
   
   

7. Abstract, incomplete and non-substantive information is provided in reports and in response to inquiries regarding the process of implementation of actions established by the Strategy.
   
   

8. Instead of presenting information about implementation of actions, the Report addresses purposefulness of implementation of an action.
   
   

9. Competent bodies did not review awareness raising actions and trainings in terms of assessing their impact.
   
   

10. An issue was also recorded in connection with activity of the Coordinating Council.
    
    

For more information about assessing implementation of the actions, and recorded issues, click HERE

The report has already been presented to the RA Ministry of Justice. The Ministry stated that they highly appreciate the willingness to support implementation of judicial and legal reforms of the Republic of Armenia, and that the report would be observed  in the frame of reviewing  2019-2023 Strategy of Judicial and Legal Reforms of the Republic of Armenia and raising effectiveness of implementation of its Action Plan.