OSCE starts prosecutorial reform project in Armenia

YEREVAN, 24 August 2011 – Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, and Aghvan Hovsepyan, the Armenian Prosecutor General, today signed a co-operation agreement on prosecutorial reform in Armenia.

Under the agreement – a memorandum of understanding – the OSCE will support the Prosecutor’s Office in bringing the relevant legislation and its implementation towards full compliance with international standards as well as enhancing the capacity of its staff. The memorandum also envisages an independent assessment of the reforms process with recommendations and follow-up actions to improve the efficiency and transparency of the activities of the Prosecutor’s Office.

“Prosecutors play a crucial role in the administration of justice and in ensuring fair trials. We hope that this initiative will enhance the criminal justice reforms and strengthen human rights protection in the country,” said Kapinos at the signing ceremony.

“The Armenian prosecution system has been reformed three times, most recently with the Law on Prosecution adopted in 2007, the application of which has already revealed a number of shortcomings that need to be tackled,” said Hovsepyan. “The assessment of the ongoing reforms, will provide recommendations on improving the legislative field and on furthering the reform process, based on international experience.” 

As a first step in the project, an OSCE-provided international expert will prepare an analysis of the role and functions of the Prosecutor’s Office. The expert will take into account relevant European standards and best practices in the OSCE region and make recommendations on which areas the project will need to focus.