Ararat Mirzoyan: Institute for transitional justice should contribute  to the formation of the judicial system

ArmInfo.The judicial system in Armenia, unfortunately, causes distrust among many of our citizens, therefore we need transitional justice. The speaker of the National  Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan, stated this on May 24 during parliamentary  hearings on transitional justice issues.

Mirzoyan noted that it is not yet clear what exactly the institution  of transitional justice is, therefore it is necessary to hold  extensive discussions in order to answer questions related to this  term. "The most important issues related to transitional justice are:  what is transitional justice, what should it be, what are the tools  of transitional justice, what is its purpose. Naturally, when  introducing transitional justice in Armenia, we will use  international experience," the Presidemt of the National Assembly  emphasized.

The Speaker also stated that it is necessary to understand by what  parameters the judicial system in Armenia does not satisfy the  requirements of the citizens of the country, and for which the  introduction of the institution of transitional justice is necessary.  "For many years, many problems have accumulated in the country's  judicial system, and the goal of transitional justice is to ensure  the formation of an independent judicial system. It is necessary to  realize that transitional justice should not be viewed as a punitive  tool, it's not at all, on the contrary, we are trying to promote  reconciliation" - said Mirzoyan. The Speaker also noted that Armenia  is a legal state and all transitional justice instruments must comply  with the laws and the Constitution of the country: "Otherwise, it  turns out that we opened the Pandora's box," he said. The head of the  legislative body stressed that it is impossible to condemn citizens  who participated in violations during the elections, as they are  teachers, relatives, as well as employees of local governments. "But,  at the same time, it is also impossible to be silent, all this needs  to be assessed and all necessary measures should be taken so that  this does not happen again," Mirzoyan said. In conclusion, he noted  that it is also necessary to understand that after the introduction  of the institution of transitional justice in the country emergency  courts will not be formed, the goal is different. "Transitional  justice should legislatively promote the establishment of the  judicial system," concluded the President of the National Assembly.