Armenia-Supporting the criminal justice reform and harmonizing the application of the European standards in Armenia

The main partners and beneficiaries of the Project are the Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary, the Justice Academy, the Representative of the Republic of Armenia before the European Court of Human Rights, Prosecutors’ Office, Special Investigation Service, Investigative Committee, Human Rights Defender’s Office and non-governmental organisations.

The main target groups are staff of the Ministry of Justice, stakeholders of the criminal justice reform, trainers of the Justice Academy, judges, prosecutors, investigators, staff of the Human Rights Defender’s Office and NGOs.

The final beneficiary is the population of Armenia who should enjoy a greater protection of its rights.

It is expected that as results of the Project:

National criminal justice policy and practice will be better aligned with European standards;
Judiciary will deliver higher quality criminal justice owing to a more harmonised application of European standards and national case-law;
Capacity of the Justice Academy to train judges, candidate judges and judicial assistants on criminal justice and human rights is strengthened.

Project information

Duration: 36 months (1 January 2019 - 31 December 2021)
Place/country: Armenia
Budget: EUR 875 000
Funding: European Union and the Council of Europe

Project documentation

Project summary

Publications

Detention as a measure of restraint - HYE

Project News

Back Guides on the new Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes of Armenia ready for the national legal professionals as the new legislation enters into force

Guides on the new Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes of Armenia ready for the national legal professionals as the new legislation enters into force

The Council of Europe has been working closely with the Armenian authorities on the criminal justice reform through legislative, methodological, and capacity-building support since 2015.

Based on the legal expertise of the Council of Europe, conceptually new Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure were developed, reflecting both national policy priorities and international commitments. Both Codes adopted a year ago entered into force on 1 July 2022.The effective implementation of both Codes shall contribute to the enhancement of human rights within criminal proceedings. It shall also facilitate the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against Armenia that are under enhanced supervision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. In particular, those relate to the prohibition of torture, ill-treatment and the use of pre-trial detention such as Mushegh Saghatelyan group of cases, Virabyan group of cases, amongst others.

Following the adoption of the new Codes, the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice has initiated the development of two practical Guides on conceptual solutions and new principles of the new Codes. The Guides will serve to provide commentaries to facilitate the effective implementation of the new legislation. They explain the context, meaning, and interpretation of the key new provisions in the adopted legal acts. The Guides were prepared by the same national experts who were closely engaged in the drafting of the new Codes, thus, to ensure a professional and coherent interpretation of new legal provisions.

The national legal professionals of Armenia will be provided with the electronic copies of both Guides that can be accessed by following these links: New Criminal Code Guide, New Criminal Procedure Code Guide.

The development of the Guides was supported in the framework of the Project “Supporting the criminal justice reform and harmonising the application of the European standards in Armenia" funded within the European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance.

Yerevan, Armenia 8 June 2022