“It is not all because of the blockade we have been facing for decades. That’s due to the fledgling governance system and methods,” she said, calling for active civil society efforts to combat corruption and other evils contributing to inequality.
Alaverdyan addressed particularly the concerns in the judiciary, pointing out to “phenomena testifying to major regress”.
“The competent bodies haven’t been consistent enough to adequately react to brutalities and degrading treatment. We often eyewitness blatant legal-procedural abuses amounting to violations of a defendants' or a defense lawyers' rights in courts” she said.
Alaverdyan, who now heads the NGO Against Legal Arbitrariness, also pointed to numerous abuses on the labor market.
Asked by Tert.am whether a consistently elaborated legal act would help smooth out the existing problems, the former ombudsman said, “Even if the necessary laws are in place, that does not in any way reduce our problems when it comes to practical application. Unless we change the culture in governance to take a fresh look upon things, and unless the ruling [political] force is strong enough to enforce drastic changes, everything wil work in a round-about way so to speak, not allowing us to fulfill our obligations outlined in the document signed with the EU,” she added.
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