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FINDINGS OF OSCE-SUPPORTED TRIAL MONITORING IN JUVENILE CASES DISCUSSED IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
01.11.2011
A report on the findings from monitoring of court proceedings involving
juveniles was presented and discussed in Yerevan today.
The report concerns 45 cases where juveniles were involved as
defendants. It also analyses domestic legislation and practices, as
well as co-operation between agencies, to reveal gaps with respect
to enhancing the juvenile justice system and offer recommendations
for improvement. The project was implemented by the Civil Society
Institute non-governmental organization with the support of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan.
Vladimir Tchountoulov, the Human Rights Programme Officer at the
OSCE Office in Yerevan, said: "Children who come in conflict with the
law need a protective environment and not just from the government,
but from all of society. Alongside prevention, policies should be in
place to promote alternatives to deprivation of liberty. We very much
hope that this report will be useful and instrumental for our Armenian
counterparts in joining and redoubling their efforts to strengthen
the protection of the rights and best interests of children."
Participants also discussed a study on "Juvenile Justice in Armenia:
Perspective of Children in Conflict with the Law", conducted in
co-operation with the Advanced Social Technologies NGO with the
support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. The study aimed to enhance child
participation and assess the juvenile justice system from the point of
view of children. It formed a part of the overall UNICEF-commissioned
research on the "Assessment of Juvenile Justice Reform Achievements
in Armenia" (http://www.osce.org/yerevan/84569)
Arman Danielyan, the President of Civil Society Institute NGO, said:
"The rate of juvenile crime in Armenia is quite low in comparison to
many other countries, but there is still a need to have a juvenile
justice system in place where a different approach is taken towards
young offenders. There is a need to have special judges, investigators,
specialists during court proceedings, which is a system that has
been used in other countries for a long time and has proven to be
effective."
Representatives of the judiciary, advocates, Prosecutor General's
Office, Office of the Human Rights Defender, civil society, and media
participated in the event.
The monitoring was implemented in three main cities of Armenia,
namely Yerevan, Vanadzor and Gyumri. Within the framework of the
project the Office also supported a hotline to provide free legal
advice to citizens, including juveniles and their relatives.
The electronic version of the report can be found here:
http://www.osce.org/yerevan/84567.
For more information please contact Ms. Gohar Avagyan, National Public
Information Officer, OSCE Office in Yerevan, at (+374 10) 22 96 10/
11/12/13/14 ext. 5406, cel (091) 436389.
Noyan Tapan
01.11.2011
A report on the findings from monitoring of court proceedings involving
juveniles was presented and discussed in Yerevan today.
The report concerns 45 cases where juveniles were involved as
defendants. It also analyses domestic legislation and practices, as
well as co-operation between agencies, to reveal gaps with respect
to enhancing the juvenile justice system and offer recommendations
for improvement. The project was implemented by the Civil Society
Institute non-governmental organization with the support of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan.
Vladimir Tchountoulov, the Human Rights Programme Officer at the
OSCE Office in Yerevan, said: "Children who come in conflict with the
law need a protective environment and not just from the government,
but from all of society. Alongside prevention, policies should be in
place to promote alternatives to deprivation of liberty. We very much
hope that this report will be useful and instrumental for our Armenian
counterparts in joining and redoubling their efforts to strengthen
the protection of the rights and best interests of children."
Participants also discussed a study on "Juvenile Justice in Armenia:
Perspective of Children in Conflict with the Law", conducted in
co-operation with the Advanced Social Technologies NGO with the
support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. The study aimed to enhance child
participation and assess the juvenile justice system from the point of
view of children. It formed a part of the overall UNICEF-commissioned
research on the "Assessment of Juvenile Justice Reform Achievements
in Armenia" (http://www.osce.org/yerevan/84569)
Arman Danielyan, the President of Civil Society Institute NGO, said:
"The rate of juvenile crime in Armenia is quite low in comparison to
many other countries, but there is still a need to have a juvenile
justice system in place where a different approach is taken towards
young offenders. There is a need to have special judges, investigators,
specialists during court proceedings, which is a system that has
been used in other countries for a long time and has proven to be
effective."
Representatives of the judiciary, advocates, Prosecutor General's
Office, Office of the Human Rights Defender, civil society, and media
participated in the event.
The monitoring was implemented in three main cities of Armenia,
namely Yerevan, Vanadzor and Gyumri. Within the framework of the
project the Office also supported a hotline to provide free legal
advice to citizens, including juveniles and their relatives.
The electronic version of the report can be found here:
http://www.osce.org/yerevan/84567.
For more information please contact Ms. Gohar Avagyan, National Public
Information Officer, OSCE Office in Yerevan, at (+374 10) 22 96 10/
11/12/13/14 ext. 5406, cel (091) 436389.