Lawyers Announce One-Day Strike Today

The Armenian Bar Association has announced a one-day strike today, refusing to exercise its powers.

“Dear colleagues, the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia guarantees the independence, self-governance, and equality of lawyers in the provision of legal assistance. The practice of law is a type of human rights protection activity conducted by lawyers aimed at realizing and protecting the rights, freedoms, and interests of individuals receiving legal assistance by all means and methods not prohibited by law. A lawyer is independent in the exercise of their activity and is governed only by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, international treaties of the Republic of Armenia, laws, the charter of the Bar Association, and the code of conduct for lawyers.

Interference by state bodies, local self-government bodies, their officials, and individuals (including mass media) in the practice of law is prohibited. A lawyer may not be pursued, held accountable, arrested, imprisoned, or subjected to other limitations of rights in connection with the performance of their professional duties, including for expressing an opinion or stance in proceedings before authority bodies.

A lawyer should not be identified with their client based on the performance of professional duties by that lawyer. The residence, vehicle, or office of a lawyer, as well as the office of a law firm, cannot be searched in connection with ascertaining circumstances related to their practice. It is not permissible to search a lawyer while directly performing their professional duties.

The aforementioned points, among others, are the minimum guarantees of legal practice enshrined in our legislation that are being blatantly ignored. It should be noted that the recent acts of violence against lawyers and the lack of an adequate legal assessment reflect the endangered status of the legal institution in Armenia. Thus far, the proceedings concerning the assaulted lawyers are being conducted insufficiently quickly, while the offenders remain unpunished. The police officers who used violence against Karen Alaverdyan continue to serve, and the indifference of competent bodies and relevant international organizations towards the legal institution continues.

On June 6 and 21, 2023, during meetings of the lawyers’ club, lawyers expressed their outrage and concerns regarding the acts of violence. During the club meetings of the Bar Association, our colleagues presented minimum demands characteristic of a legal state, which were also ignored, demonstrating the existing attitude towards the institution.

Therefore, under such circumstances, it is necessary to prevent violations using legal means and to protect our institution. One of the primary goals and tasks of the Bar Association is to uphold the rights and legitimate interests of its members in relations with state and local self-government bodies and organizations, as well as in court.

June 26 is a symbolic day, marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, and it is timely to remind our society about the essential role and significance of the legal profession. Accordingly, in order to prevent existing obstacles to the performance of a lawyer's professional activities and to ensure the effective protection of violated rights of lawyers, we will carry out a one-day protest action on June 26, 2023, by refusing to provide defense or representation in the state bodies of the Republic of Armenia (including courts and investigative bodies),” stated the message released by the president of the Bar Association, Simon Babayan.