The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted the resolution “On the fulfillment of obligations and commitments undertaken by Armenia” by voting.
The Assembly welcomed Armenia’s ratification of Protocol No. 13, “On the Abolition of the Death Penalty in All Cases,” attached to the Convention “On the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,” as well as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The Assembly noted with satisfaction the authorities’ provision of inclusiveness and transparency in the legislative process, which led to the reform of the Electoral Code by a series of consultations of the Venice Commission.
The Assembly highly appreciated the reforms to preserve the judicial system’s independence. It noted with satisfaction the readiness and continuous efforts of the Armenian authorities for genuine dialogue with the Council of Europe. At the same time, PACE regretted that there is still a widespread perception that disciplinary procedures against judges are being abused to influence their decisions. Accordingly, the Assembly welcomed that the Minister of Justice asked the Venice Commission for an opinion on the concept paper for reforming the Committee on Ethics and Disciplinary Matters of the General Assembly of Judges, which shows the political will to cooperate with the CoE bodies on this matter.
The Assembly positively assessed the authorities’ real determination to fight systemic corruption, evidenced by the creation of two specialized anti-corruption bodies and courts and the introduction of conduct checks of judges, prosecutors, and persons holding independent positions in investigative bodies.
