Lawyers in Armenia will hold a strike connected with the actions of the Court of Cassation

Members of the Bar of Armenia announced their plan to hold a one-day strike on June, 11, in this way expressing dissatisfaction with the activities of the judges of the Court of Cassation, lawyer Lusine Saakyan, member of the pressure group for organization of the strike, reported. As of June, 5, there were 100 lawyers ready to take part in the strike.

Representatives of the Bar informed that the goal of the strike was to draw attention of judicial authorities to the present-day problems. On June, 11, the lawyers will gather and put forward their demands at a press conference.

The lawyers’ statement on the strike already signed by 100 persons runs that since 2007 when a new order of acceptance of lawsuits for processing was assigned in the Juridical Code of Armenia for realization of new authorities of the Court of Cassation the latter “using indeterminateness of regulations of acceptance of lawsuits for processing repeatedly demonstrated willfulness in application of this law”.

The lawyers consider that “legal indeterminateness and non-transparency that emerged produce negative impression of the juridical system on the community” in Armenia and the Court of Cassation is also responsible for all the problems and omissions at lower-level juridical instances and investigative bodies and for the “crisis of juridical system aggravating with every passing day”, Panorama.am reports. 

“Both during pre-trial inquiry and at the stage of trial Public prosecutor’s office, first instance courts and appellate courts commit disgraceful lawlessness. And for the reason that the Court of Cassation is not functioning properly these violations are going on. If the Court of Cassation performs its real duties the situation will improve”, one of the organizers of the strike Lusine Saakyan declared.

According to her, if improvement of the situation fails the lawyers will continue their action of protest, NEWS.am media agency reports.

The lawyers warn that their statement of itself is enough to acknowledge their absence at the trials on June, 11, caused by valid reasons in connection with which the respectable reference can be issued, First Armenian Information channel reports.

The Court of Cassation of Armenia was created on July, 10, 1998. Two chambers are currently functioning in it: one for criminal cases and the other for civil and administrative ones.