OSCE Office in Yerevan holds seminar for judges on the right to claim compensation for non-material damage

Legal aspects and international judicial practice relating to claims for compensation for moral damages in civil and criminal proceedings were the focus of a two–day seminar launched on 18 November 2016 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Some 50 judges participated in the event, which was co-organized with the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), the Commission on Educational Issues of the General Assembly of Judges of Armenia and the Judicial Department of Armenia.

The training seminar aimed to enhance the knowledge of judges on the right to claim compensation for non-material damage, defining the scope of moral damage, judicial examination, corresponding judicial decisions and court appeals.

“The Office has extended support to Armenia to promote judicial reforms and improvement of courts system with the aim of strengthening its effectiveness and the independence of the judiciary,” said the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Argo Avakov.

Arman Mkrtumyan, the Chairperson of the Court of Cassation, noted that the judges will benefit from learning about international experience in relation to non-material damage compensation.

International experts Andreas Dilitts, the Constitutional Court judge and presiding judge of the Regional Court in the German state of Brandenburg, and Fabian Krapot, Director of the Waldbroel Court of First Instance, presented the basic rights for non-material damages in civil litigation, criminal procedure, the adhesive procedure, and introduced related practices in Germany.