Artur Stepanyan has been in the judicial system since 2005. In 2018, the judge was included in the Training Commission of the General Assembly of Judges, and in January 2022, he was elected the Vice-President of the RA Association of Judges.
In the framework of the “Judges of Armenia series of interviews Iravaban.net, the judge referred to the existing problems in the judicial system, the activities of the Supreme Judicial Council, the scandalous recording published by the former Chairperson of the SJC, Ruben Vardazaryan, and other issues.
– Mr. Stepanyan, you have been in the judicial system for many years. At the beginning as an assistant judge, then as a judge. What kind of evolution has the judicial system experienced since 2005?
– My entire working life, since the age of 20, has been spent in court, in the judicial system. It has undergone quite a notable evolution. For example, in terms of technical adequacy, court sessions were not recorded. In addition, there have been huge legislative changes, specialized courts have been established, the judicial system has developed a lot, and the legal community has also developed along with it.
– Do you consider that development sufficient according to the international standards?
– I am a bit strict, including myself. I always think that it could have been better. In particular, in the USA, there is unlimited trust in the judge and the court. Once we attended a court session in the United States, the judge sentenced the person to prison without going to the consultation room according to their procedure, and then asked if the latter would appeal. He said no, thank you, goodbye, and they took him to the penitentiary. According to my impression, there is unlimited trust in the judiciary in European countries. Here, we do not have that much confidence in either the judge or the judiciary.
It seems to me that the reasons are not so objective, they are more subjective.
– Speaking about the social guarantees of judges, some judges say that they are not enough in Armenia. What is your opinion on this issue?
– First of all, it is necessary to find out whether there are such guarantees or not. They are insignificant. The social guarantee of a judge is a pension, but a number of our colleagues who retired did not receive a pension for more than a year. It is not normal, especially for a judge who is constrained by business activity and cannot do anything else besides scientific and pedagogical work. He retires and does not receive a pension for a year. Currently, the issue has been settled to some extent. We have one more guarantee: like all state employees, we have a social package; a certain amount is provided for rest. I am not aware about other social guarantee.
– What changes would you suggest?
– A lot can be done in this area, starting with health insurance. It seems that the judge is sitting on a soft chair in his office all day in court, but he is doing very hard work. Every day, several court acts, several dozens of court hearings, which are significantly different from each other… it is not easy. Naturally, it does not have a positive effect on health.
In addition, leisure and sports related packages could be provided to both the judge and his family members. Packages can be developed in connection with the education of the judge’s children.
– Mr. Stepanyan, we cannot bypass the processes taking place recently in the Supreme Judicial Council. On 20 June, during the press conference, Ruben Vardazaryan published the secret recording of the conversation between him and Gagik Jhangiryan that took place in 2021. After it was published, Vardazaryan commented on the recording, saying that Jhangiryan was trying to convince him to resign before a certain date, and in that case, no criminal case would be initiated against him. What is your impression of the published recording?
– My reaction will be brief. Mr. Vardazaryan and Jhangiryan published their opinion about the recording. I learned from the press that a criminal case was initiated, people were interrogated, and I don’t know what course it has taken. All this constrains me in the legal sense to express an opinion or a position. In terms of pure feeling, neither the presence of the recording, nor the publication, or the content was pleasant for me.
– Wasn’t there any disappointment in the profession?
– Let me tell you something; last night my car was broken, I asked my assistant to take me to the center. He is a young boy; he also wants to become a judge in the future. He asked me a question. He said: “Mr. Stepanyan, have you ever regretted during this time for becoming a judge?’ I said, “There was not even a second”. In this case too, I have not regretted for even a second.
– What effect will the published secret recording have on the future activity of the judicial system?
– I can’t say, time will show. Maybe it will have no effect at all; maybe it will harm the judiciary.
– What would you say about the activities of the Supreme Judicial Council? The Council has been operating for more than 4 years. Are there significant changes for the judges and the judiciary?
– The SJC has 5 judge members, 5 lawyer-scientist members. During these 4 years, the powers of more than 10 members were suspended, but none of them was due to the end of their term of office. In addition, 4 heads of the Council have changed. In my opinion, these circumstances do not contribute to the favorable and quick establishment of the newly created constitutional body.
Details in the video.
Interview: Yevgenya Hambardzumyan
