14. As a consequence, the Assembly:

14.1. encourages all political stakeholders to enter into dialogue about how to improve the existingrules on the relationship between the parliamentary majority and the opposition;

14.2. calls on the opposition to refrain from boycotting the work of the National Assembly and recallsthat an organised boycott of the work of parliament by the opposition is permissible only in rare andextreme circumstances where legitimacy of parliament is questioned;

14.3. calls on the majority in parliament to exert self-restraint in the use of qualified majority decisionand recalls that when the ruling coalition or party enjoys a large majority, it bears therewith a greatresponsibility to observe and safeguard the principles governing the smooth operation of democraticinstitutions, including the rights of the opposition;

14.4. invites the political parties represented in the National Assembly to find cross-party consensusfor the appointments which require a two-third majority, taking into account the Venice CommissionChecklist on “Parameters on the Relationship between the Parliamentary Majority and the Opposition ina Democracy”; and to introduce soft regulations or review the rules of the National Assembly in aconsensual manner when necessary.

15. The Assembly commends the reforms aimed at safeguarding the independence of the judiciary andnotes with satisfaction the openness of the Armenian authorities to a genuine dialogue with the Council ofEurope and their continued effort to improve the system of judicial governance in line with Europeanstandards.

16. The Assembly regrets the still widespread perception that disciplinary procedures are being abusedagainst judges in order to intimidate them or influence their decisions. It welcomes the Minister of Justice’srequest for a Venice Commission’s opinion on a concept paper concerning reform of the Ethics andDisciplinary Commission of the General Assembly of Judges, which illustrates the political will to co-operatewith Council of Europe bodies on this matter.

17. With a view to strengthening the independence of judges, the Assembly:

17.1. encourages the Armenian authorities to pursue the reform of the Ethics and DisciplinaryCommission of the General Assembly of Judges; on the basis of the joint Opinion prepared by theVenice Commission and the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council ofEurope;

17.2. calls on the Armenian authorities to ensure the political neutrality of the Supreme JudicialCouncil and to consider introducing restrictions for politicians to become the Supreme Judicial Councilmembers;

17.3. hopes that once the reform of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission of the General Assemblyof Judges is completed and has proved its efficiency, the power of the Ministry of Justice to initiatedisciplinary proceedings will cease.

18. The Assembly commends the real determination showed by the authorities to fight the problem ofsystemic corruption, evidenced by the creation of two specialised anti-corruption bodies and specialised anti-corruption courts, the reform of the Police, the introduction of integrity checks for judges, prosecutors andpersons holding autonomous positions in investigative bodies. The Assembly notes that the draftconstitutional and legislative measures are currently under discussion in parliament and encourages theauthorities to pursue these efforts.

19. With regard to freedom of information, the Assembly welcomes the decision to present a new draft law“On Freedom of Information and Public Information” and the consideration given to public consultations onthat draft; it encourages the authorities to pursue a comprehensive reform in the field of media, including areview of the 2020 law “On audiovisual media” in order to ensure alignment with Council of Europe standardson freedom of expression.

20. The Assembly welcomes the abolition of the criminalisation of defamation, in accordance withResolution 2427 (2022), but expresses its concerns regarding the allegations of the selective use of theCriminal Code provisions on hate speech to target bloggers and activists opposing the ruling party. TheAssembly reiterates its call for a uniform and restrictive application of the legislation on penalties for insult anddefamation by the relevant authorities, to ensure that it is not used in an arbitrary manner against individualsand the media.

Resolution 2560 (2024)

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