Armenian PM: everything that is associated with lack of institutional  mechanisms cannot be considered justice

ArmInfo. Some of the most important expectations of citizens from the "velvet" revolution in 2018 were related to justice and the fight against corruption. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated on December 6 from the rostrum of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

According to him, these expectations continue to remain in their  place, which means the lack of their full implementation. "But why is  this happening? There is even talk that the country's authorities  have betrayed the principles and values of the revolution. But before  referring to these conversations, it is necessary to clarify for  yourself what justice is, how it was manifested, and how it should be  manifested. After the "velvet" revolution, everyone expected that  justice and fairness would reign in the country, that is, sentences  would be passed in the squares and carried out, including the  confiscation of illegally acquired property of specifically  designated persons. In other words, everything that the times of the  French Revolution was characterized as terror," said the Prime  Minister.

He added that the authorities did not follow this path for one simple  reason:It was not the October Socialist Revolution, that was carried  out in 2018, but a revolution of love and harmony, promising that  there would be no vendettas in the country. "This is an important  feature, because the refusal to use vendetta is our revolutionary  commitment to the people. True, a contradictory question arises here:  how to implement justice without the use of vendetta. This is where  the problem arises related to what justice is, how and where justice  is done. Our position has been and remains unchanged: justice is  decided in institutions that, when administering justice, have the  authority to do so, acting in accordance with the requirements of the  Constitution and laws," Pashinyan emphasized.

He noted that everything that is associated with the lack of  institutional mechanisms cannot be considered justice. Otherwise, one  may shoot the other in the entrance of the building, another may  break his nose, a third may demand to join the company, and a fourth  to usurp someone else's property. "This not only cannot be considered  justice, although it may find approval in society, but also the path  to the destruction of the state. Justice is an institutional  phenomenon, everything that is not institutional is not justice,"  said the head of the Armenian government, adding that the Cabinet of  Ministers is taking steps to form deep institutional justice and  fairness in the country.

He noted that over the past five years, funding for the country's  judicial system has doubled, and this trend will continue in 2024.  The salaries of judges of the Court of Cassation have increased  significantly, and the salaries of judges of the Court of Appeal and  primary courts will increase from January 1, 2024. Also, over the  past five years, the salaries of prosecutors have doubled, which will  continue to grow next year.  Funding for the Investigative Committee  increased by 226%, and the salaries of Investigative Committee  investigators almost doubled. At the same time, funding for the  Anti-Corruption Committee in 2023 compared to 2018, when it was the  Special Investigative Service, increased by 443%, and the salaries of  its investigators increased significantly.

The Prime Minister noted that the increase in these salaries is  carried out for society, since judges, prosecutors and prosecutors  provide a service to people and society. At the same time, Pashinyan  pointed out a serious problem related to the inevitability of  justice. According to him, the work of all legal bodies should be  judged not by the number of cases initiated, but by the number of  court decisions made.  Sometimes it feels like legal proceedings  maygo on forever, with no end in sight.

Pashinyan emphasized that since 2018, 60 new vacancies have opened in  the courts. Cases related to the confiscation of up to 5 million  drams are considered in the Arbitration Court, which avoids  additional workload for the courts. "If you love your homeland, be  law-abiding," the head of government concluded his speech.