According to the package of judicial system reforms a new system of evaluation of judges should be implemented. According to the procedure, the General Assembly of Judges forms an Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, the Committee on Evaluation of Judges’ Activities, and the Education Committee.

The Education Committee consists of seven members, five of whom are members of the judiciary and two are non-judges. One of the judges is elected from the judges of the Court of Cassation, two from the judges of the Courts of Appeal, and two from the judges of the Courts of First Instance.

A lawyer, who has high professional qualities, has a degree in law or at least five years of professional experience can be elected a non-judge member of the Education Committee.

Gabriel Petrosyan, the candidate nominated by Judge Narine Hovakimyan of the Criminal Court of Appeal, draw the attention of iravaban.net.  He is represented in the list of candidates for non-judge members.

The inclusion of non-judge members in the Training Committee for judges aims to ensure the involvement of civil society in the committee to exclude the involvement of the current judiciary, including the current and former law enforcement authorities.

One of the main goals of this phase of judicial reform is to increase public confidence in the judiciary. And to that end, it is planned to include civil society representatives in the Education Committee. We think that the nomination of Gabriel Petrosyan cannot in any way ensure the objective of involving a civil society representative in the Education Committee, as Petrosyan held the position of senior investigator of the Yerevan Prosecutor’s Office in 1997-2001, the position of investigator of especially important cases of the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor’s Office in 2001-2007, the position of senior investigator of the SIS in 2007-2013 and, according to his autobiography, never identified himself as a civil society representative.

Even if we do not take into account the above consideration, can a person who has served in the law enforcement system,  perform himself as representative of civil society and have the vision to build an independent, professional, credible judiciary set out in this judicial reform program? And finally, should the purification of the judicial system be achieved with the help of a former law enforcement officer?

Also read:

• The Commission should know and understand the Needs of Judges: Artashes Khalatyan
• The Judge should never think that he owes someone: Arsen Tavadyan on the Evaluation of Judges
• The Vice-Rector of the Academy of Justice has a Potential Conflict of Interest and involving her in the Performance Evaluation Commission of Judges contradicts to the Integrity Principles
• A High-Ranking Official of the Judiciary has been nominated as a Candidate for a Non-Judge Member of the the Judges’ Performance Evaluation Commission
• The Objective of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission is one – to contribute to the Recovery of Judiciary: Syuzanna Soghomonyan