YEREVAN – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in a conference organized by the Ministry of Justice titled “Justice as a Tool for Achieving Fairness.”
The event addressed current challenges in the justice system, including the efficiency of the judiciary, increasing public trust, the impact of legal reforms, and the application of pre-trial detention measures. Discussions also focused on cooperation among law enforcement agencies and issues related to the protection of human rights.
In the first part of the conference, speakers examined the challenges of ensuring timely case reviews in courts, the impact of sectoral reforms on the efficiency and timeliness of justice, the relationship between the speed of investigative actions and court proceedings, and how the right to a fair and timely trial is affected by procedural abuses.
Responding to a question from the moderator regarding the government’s role and the accountability of various actors in the judiciary in ensuring timely and effective justice for citizens, Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the discussion—though he admitted it should have happened earlier.
“It would have been better if we had discussed these matters more frequently over time. I believe part of the reason we’re even asking whether justice and fairness are the same—or should be the same—reflects a certain disconnection between the judiciary and the people, both structurally and substantively,” he said.
Pashinyan added, “When we try to compare these two concepts, we see that there’s a fundamental problem even in the formulation of the question itself. But we also need to understand why this question exists in our reality. I think one reason is that, in Armenia, the concept of justice is not clearly understood by many.”
According to the Prime Minister, a language gap also exists between the legal community and the general public. “At some point, the legal profession begins to use terminology that is inaccessible and incomprehensible to most citizens,” he noted.
“When we ask why justice is delayed, the truth is that justice doesn’t just arrive late—it often doesn’t arrive at all. It’s an ongoing process that doesn’t reach a resolution. Each legal institution—from investigators, to prosecutors, to judges—has its own internal discourse, perceptions, and understanding, which adds to the confusion,” he added.
Pashinyan stressed that in the Republic of Armenia, the sole source of power is the people. “Therefore, the people must be able to understand what is happening within the institutions they created—how they function, what their goals are, and what outcomes they produce.”
He also said there is a practical disconnect between the people and the legal order established in the country.
“My evaluation—and I continue to be convinced of this—is that this gap in the legal order is partly due to a prevailing perception that the results of constitutional referenda have not accurately reflected the people’s will,” he stated.
“I’ve often spoken about this when presenting the concept of a ‘Real Armenia.’ These are questions we need to seriously consider, and the fact that such discussions are taking place indicates we have not yet reached the desired point in this regard.”
In the second part of the conference, discussions focused on the impact of court rulings regarding detention and acquittals on public perceptions of judicial independence. Participants explored how to balance public and private interests in the pre-trial process, and the role of civil society in enhancing transparency and accountability in the selection of detention measures and in the justice system as a whole.
Prime Minister Pashinyan also answered several questions from attendees during the conference.
