Right to Fair Trial Forum Held

During the forum, Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan introduced the participants to the new legislative authority of Ombudsman to start disciplinary proceedings towards judges, which has been in force since January 1st 2011, the details of that authority and its consequences. He noted that the Ombudsman’s office could file a petition to the Courts within a year if there were brazen violations and evidence. The Ombudsman’s office reports to official bodies and if those reports are not heard, the office will summarise them and publish rights violation cases statistically. Andreasyan said an impartial court should be independent of higher government officials and relatives, but claimed that judges currently often feel that they are above the law. He also stated that society seeks solutions to problems through legislative changes, but that the problem is not the imperfection of the law but the fact that changes are not being implemented in practice.