OSCE Office Trains Armenian Lawyers And Human Rights Defenders On Th

OSCE OFFICE TRAINS ARMENIAN LAWYERS AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ON THIRD PARTY LEGAL INTERVENTIONS

armradio.am
22.06.2012 12:22

A two-day training workshop for some 25 lawyers and human rights
defenders from non-governmental organizations on third party
intervention (amicus curiae) in constitutional and international
human rights procedures started in Yerevan today.

The workshop is organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the
Armenian Chamber of Advocates to build the capacity of Armenian
advocates and civil society representatives in preparing amicus curiae
briefs for the Armenian Constitutional Court and the European Court
of Human Rights as a supplementary method in the protection of human
rights in Armenia.

Amicus curiae is a legal term meaning “friend of a court” that refers
to a non-party to the case who volunteers to offer information on
an arguable point of law or some other aspects of the case to assist
the court in deciding a matter before it. Its aim is to further the
efficiency of the court by advancing the legal arguments on what
implication the case may have on people other than the parties to
the case.

“With this workshop, we seek to strengthen the capacity and create
avenues for lawyers and civil society to provide input into the
constitutional court decision-making process,” said Maria Silvanyan,
National Legal Adviser at the OSCE Office in Yerevan. “The amicus
briefs, as a source of additional evidence and arguments for the
court’s reasoning, have also proved to be beneficial for the quality
of justice.”

The training workshop is run by Padraig Hughes, an international
expert from Interights (London), and local attorney Vahe Grigoryan.

Participants will be introduced to the definition and background of
amicus curiae briefs, discuss the role of NGOs in international and
domestic proceedings and engage in practical exercises.

“The concept of amicus curiae remains as yet underdeveloped in Armenia,
but it is widely applied in the Western legal tradition, especially in
the common law countries and on the level of higher and international
courts. This tool may be effectively explored by civil society in
providing valuable information to the court about legal arguments,
or how a case might affect people other than the parties to the case,”
said Arman Poghosyan, Adviser to the Chairman of the Armenian Chamber
of Advocates.

The workshop is a part of activities by the OSCE Office in Yerevan
to support Armenian judicial reform.