Armenian parliament convenes for emergency session to push through a set of judicial reforms

YEREVAN, February 3. /ARKA/. An emergency session of the Armenian parliament convened today is supposed to consider and approve a string of judicial reforms, which are being opposed by the opposition on the ground that the government-designed reforms are untimely.

The parliament, controlled by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's My Step bloc will have to discuss and approve a set of amendments in two readings.

According to Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan, the amendments to the Judicial Code were prompted by the need to hire new judges who will consider only corruption cases or pre-trial arrests of criminal suspects.

According to a bill approved by the Armenian government earlier this month, up to 21 new judges are to be hired for the courts of first instance. Three other new judges specializing in arrests or corruption-related offenses are to be appointed to the Court of Appeals.

According to the Justice Minister, the new judges are expected to cut the workload of courts increasingly overwhelmed by pending criminal and civil cases.

“We would understand the need for an emergency session if it were to consider a draft law on how to de-occupy Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), or how to step up the capabilities of our armed forces, to improve the country's security and so on. I am a supporter of judicial reforms, but I do not understand the need to promptly discuss these changes in an extraordinary manner,” Taron Simonyan, an MP from the opposition Bright Armenia said.

Minister Badasyan retorted by saying that judicial reforms have been discussed for 1.5 years, including the issue of cutting the workload of judges.

However, the opposition was not satisfied with the explanations. Simonyan said that these initiatives were relevant a year ago, but fundamental changes have taken place and it is necessary to revise the priorities.

“Changes to the Judicial Code are also important, but there is a need to regulate the supply of weapons, there are problems in the border areas. But, leaving all this aside, you are working on the priorities that were relevant 1-2 years ago,” Simonyan said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, comprised of a more than a dozen opposition parties, has organized a protest rally outside the Armenian parliament. The opposition claims that the emergency session is going to consider 'anti-state' bills. The opposition activists threw backpacks with photographs of MPs and manure over the fence into the parliament yard. -0-