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THE COURAGE TO RESIGN
HAKOB BADALYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments24145.html
Published: 11:09:10 - 10/11/2011
In the photo, three Armenian judges receiving the award. Hovsep
Bedevyan is between to female judges. Photo from the official website
of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan
After a long break, Serzh Sargsyan filled the position of the president
of the Administrative Court of Appeals. This position was vacant
since the former president of the Court of Appeals Tigran Mukuchyan
resigned to take on the position of chairman of the Central Election
Commission. And Mukuchyan resigned after Garegin Azaryan, the ex-
chairman of the CEC died.
On November 9, Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on the appointment of
Judge Hovsep Bedevyan. The interesting thing is that Bedevyan received
the Freedom Defender's prize on December 9, 2010. The ex-U.S.
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch handed him the prize. Besides Mr.
Bedevyan, two other judges were awarded too. Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan was also present.
The Defender of Freedom is an annual award of the U.S. Department of
State which is conferred on individuals and NGOs. It is awarded
in different parts of the world to persons who encounter serious
challenges and are able to display exceptional courage and
determination to defend human rights, democracy and social justice.
The award is aimed to encourage implementation of fundamental freedoms
and respect for the rule of law in all the states of the world.
Hence, by appointing Judge Bedevyan who was awarded by the U.S.
Department of State to this important position, Serzh Sargsyan is
trying to display to the West, namely the United States, that it is
ready to take practical steps towards the judicial reform.
No doubt, this gesture is too little to consider a satisfactory reform
because the appointment still has to produce quality in the system.
Otherwise, the Armenian government has made a lot of similar
propagandist and demonstrative appointments who later assimilated
with the existing systems rather than distinguished themselves in
terms of the quality component.
Here, there are two aspects. Those appointments must get proper
political support to function properly, to be able to create at
least isles of quality within the system to enable building up a
brand new system later. However, judging by the results of the modern
appointments so far, Serzh Sargsyan does not provide proper political
support to those who bear this quality and these appointments have
so far served for pleasing Western partners rather than for systemic
change in Armenia.
The other aspect is that these officials have the courage to be in
quite a different quality platform but they must have the courage to
resign if their quality serves the cover-up of the existing system
rather than the coverage of the demands of the public, defaming the
idea of new quality and disappointing the public.
HAKOB BADALYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments24145.html
Published: 11:09:10 - 10/11/2011
In the photo, three Armenian judges receiving the award. Hovsep
Bedevyan is between to female judges. Photo from the official website
of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan
After a long break, Serzh Sargsyan filled the position of the president
of the Administrative Court of Appeals. This position was vacant
since the former president of the Court of Appeals Tigran Mukuchyan
resigned to take on the position of chairman of the Central Election
Commission. And Mukuchyan resigned after Garegin Azaryan, the ex-
chairman of the CEC died.
On November 9, Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on the appointment of
Judge Hovsep Bedevyan. The interesting thing is that Bedevyan received
the Freedom Defender's prize on December 9, 2010. The ex-U.S.
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch handed him the prize. Besides Mr.
Bedevyan, two other judges were awarded too. Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan was also present.
The Defender of Freedom is an annual award of the U.S. Department of
State which is conferred on individuals and NGOs. It is awarded
in different parts of the world to persons who encounter serious
challenges and are able to display exceptional courage and
determination to defend human rights, democracy and social justice.
The award is aimed to encourage implementation of fundamental freedoms
and respect for the rule of law in all the states of the world.
Hence, by appointing Judge Bedevyan who was awarded by the U.S.
Department of State to this important position, Serzh Sargsyan is
trying to display to the West, namely the United States, that it is
ready to take practical steps towards the judicial reform.
No doubt, this gesture is too little to consider a satisfactory reform
because the appointment still has to produce quality in the system.
Otherwise, the Armenian government has made a lot of similar
propagandist and demonstrative appointments who later assimilated
with the existing systems rather than distinguished themselves in
terms of the quality component.
Here, there are two aspects. Those appointments must get proper
political support to function properly, to be able to create at
least isles of quality within the system to enable building up a
brand new system later. However, judging by the results of the modern
appointments so far, Serzh Sargsyan does not provide proper political
support to those who bear this quality and these appointments have
so far served for pleasing Western partners rather than for systemic
change in Armenia.
The other aspect is that these officials have the courage to be in
quite a different quality platform but they must have the courage to
resign if their quality serves the cover-up of the existing system
rather than the coverage of the demands of the public, defaming the
idea of new quality and disappointing the public.