Armenian Courts Are Not Independent: Armenian Ombudsman

ARMENIAN COURTS ARE NOT INDEPENDENT: ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN
YEREVAN, MAY 3. ARMINFO. Courts in Armenia are not independent –
the government pressure them, Armenia’s Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan
said in the parliament today.
Getting small salaries judges are prone to governmental pressure
and inclined to take bribes. Alaverdyan says that she came to this
conclusion from her personal contacts with citizens “victim” to
unfair court verdicts. She notes that she is not only debarred from
active involvement in court activities but is even restricted in mere
observation of court proceedings. So Alaverdyan slates legislation
that prevents her from discharging her direct duties.
In 2004 Alaverdyan received 1,294 written complaints, 1,337 citizens,
2,300 phone calls. The key targets of the complaints are the prosecutor
office, police, municipality. 99% of the complainers are socially
disadvantaged people