OSCE/ODIHR workshop in Yerevan focuses on strengthening rights of defendants in criminal cases

New rules strengthening the rights of defendants as part of a revision of Armenia’s law on criminal procedure were the focus of a workshop organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 19 March 2013 in the Armenian capital.

The workshop brought together representatives from the Government Commission and the Working Group on Drafting the Criminal Procedure code to discuss the new rules on evidentiary standards and the admission of evidence. Experts from ODIHR provided participants with examples of existing international standards and legislation from common law and civil law systems in the OSCE region.

“Armenia has embarked on a challenging and ambitious reform of its criminal justice system to further improve adherence to international standards and OSCE commitments,” said Deputy Justice Minister Ruben Melikyan.

“The OSCE Office in Yerevan and ODIHR have actively supported judicial reforms and will continue to do so,” added Andrey Sorokin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

The government is currently revising its criminal procedure law as part of the 2012-2016 Strategic Programme for Legal and Judicial Reforms in the Republic of Armenia. At the workshop, the participants developed a set of recommendations that will serve as a basis for further review of the draft Criminal Procedure Code on evidentiary rules.

“Strengthening the rights of the defendant related to evidence in criminal proceedings is key to achieving equality of arms between the prosecution and the defence,” said Eva Katinka Schmidt, Deputy Chief of ODIHR’s Rule of Law Unit. “This is a cornerstone of the defendant’s right to a fair trial.”

The expert workshop is part of a series of follow-up activities organized to support the implementation of recommendations contained in the final report of the ODIHR trial-monitoring project in Armenia in 2008 and 2009.