On July 15, 2021, the Helsinki Association for Human Rights (NGO) launched a new pilot project to enhance transparency in the Armenian criminal justice system by encouraging youth participation. The project – titled Legally educated young citizens as guardians of an independent and transparent judiciary – is implemented together with Solidarity Fund Pl and co-funded by the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
The pilot project will last until November 30, 2021. Activities will take place in Armenia’s three largest cities – Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor – where the number of trained court monitors is continuously increasing. Within the framework of the project, participants will gain monitoring practice by visiting local courts on a regular basis to observe criminal trials with the support of and under the direct supervision of an expert court monitor.
Additionally, regular workshops will be organized separately for all local groups to discuss their observations. The project will culminate in a joint final workshop in Yerevan, in which proposals for judicial reform will be drafted based on the groups’ final findings and later submitted to the Armenian government.
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