July 18 - 20, 2006
"Iravunk" Weekly
“Corruption among us is gradually deepening”
It seemed the judicial reforms of the last years would create good conditions for the legal awareness of the public. Unfortunately the reforms touched only to the improvement of the court buildings. At the same time the analysis of the legal sphere shows that the level of legal awareness among the population is still rather low. Whereas only the good knowledge of own rights provides opportunity to protect them. Our conversation with Mr. Karen Zadoyan, advocate, President of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association, refers to this, as well as other similar issues.
“The level of legal awareness among Armenia’s population is rater low due to some objective and subjective reasons,” Mr. Zadoyan said. “It is especially low among the rural population. The level of rights protection in Armenia is low as well. The lack of legal consciousness is the main reason for this. The people should know their rights to be able either to protect them, or if needed, to apply to us for these services.”
“There are subjective reasons, which promote the low level of legal consciousness as well. These are the existing risks of the corruption in the judicial sphere. Recently the Council of the Court Presidents adopted the Anticorruption Program of the Judicial System, which was aimed at reducing the risks of the corruption in the system.”
“The imperfect Advocacy Institute is the next reason that is due to mention in this aspect as well. At present this institute does not meet its mission completely and has rather negative habits inherited from the past. I mean the majority of the advocates today realizes mediation services despite the real legal services, and do not struggle for the defense of their clients’ rights till the end. Nevertheless there are rather serious advocates as well, who work to protect the human rights. We hope we shall be able to reform the Advocacy institute using this potential force.”
A rather notable action, introduction of the Ombudsman Institute, aimed at protection of human rights was realized in the course of the last years. But still we need a long period of time for its final establishment, so that it is able to solve problems and realize goals.”
“I should also say that the state undertakes definite activities referring to the legal awareness. We may note The RA Legal Information System, which was realized with the support of the World Bank and launched in the Internet, and is currently available for anyone. Unfortunately the number of Internet users in Armenia is rather few, and this System only partially solves the problem.”
- Do you think if the people believe that their rights would be protected they will be interested to obtain legal knowledge?
“I think only a well-aware citizen is able to protect his right. People are simply obliged to know their rights. The more you know your rights the easier you can protect them. The problem is that on the assumption of the situation that exists in the judiciary system today a person has no guarantees that he can protect his right. I am sure it is possible to achieve remarkable reforms during several years and attain t6he result when anyone is able to protect his right entirely. I do not imply only the conditions of the court buildings and the uniform of the judges under the reforms. I mean the utter realization of the laws by the judges. We all should be sure that the RA Courts realize Justice.”
- We are combating on the state level against the corruption during the last years. Do you see any progress here, or is everything the same?
“There is an Anticorruption Strategic Program, which has created a monitoring commission with different working groups. Members of our organization are included in these working groups as well. There we generally familiarize with different draft laws. That is to say those groups were acting mostly on the theoretical level and did not have any essential role in the struggle against t6he corruption. Yet it is a fact that corruption really exists and is gradually deepening.”
- But finally the same citizen is the briber.
“Yes. There is an opinion that if no one gives a bribe, nobody will take a bribe. I do agree with this formulation at some point. I think the citizen should know his rights and in additions he should be able to protect and realize his rights, rather than try to solve the problems in contravention of the law. Because by doing this they compromise the Judiciary, as well as the Advocacy systems that are still developing.”
Lilit Grigoryan
