Fair judges awarded
The U.S. Embassy granted the annual "Defender of Liberty, Armenia 2010" Award to three Armenian judges ahead of the International Human Rights Day, including judge of the first instance court of general jurisdiction of Aragatsotn province Ruzanna Barseghyan, judge of the administrative appeals court Hovsep Bedevyan and judge of the first instance court of general jurisdiction of Lori province Marine Melkonyan.
The awards were handed by U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovich. Attending the event were high-ranking representatives of Armenia's courts and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.
In her speech, Marie Yovanovich emphasized that the three judges have made their contributions for the benefit of the rule of law and the independence of Armenia's courts.
"It is a great honor for me to grant this award to people, to citizens who make a contribution to democracy and the protection of human rights through their exemplary activities. With their verdicts of principle, these three judges proved to Armenian citizens that the protection guaranteed by the Constitution is a guiding factor in our lives and that it is ensured," said Yovanovich.
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan also congratulated the award winners and mentioned that the legal and judicial reforms are of important significance for Armenia since there is not much public confidence toward that sphere.
"The U.S. Embassy not only identifies our flaws, but appreciates our achievements as well. That is also a serious impetus for bringing a new sweep to reforms and ensuring progress in our country," said Tigran Sargsyan.
The "Defender of Liberty" Award is an annual award granted by the U.S. Department of State to individuals and non-governmental organizations. The purpose of the award is to encourage the insurance of fundamental liberties and respect toward the law. This award has been granted in Armenia since 2008 with award winners such as President of the Helsinki Association of Armenia Mikayel Danielyan (2008) and editor of "Hetq" online newspaper Edik Baghdasaryan (2009).
