To achieve judicial independence and established democracy, to create a reliable system of human rights protection.

Judiciary

Independent judiciary is the most important precondition for a democratic society and democratic state. The court is often the last instance for the r…

Human Rights

The proper protection of human rights and freedoms is a prerequisite for a decent life. Throughout our work, we reveal various systemic problems that …

Elections

Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of a sovereign democratic state. It is a well-known fact that elections have been falsified for many years…

Pilot training on the Abuse of State Resources

28/02/2025
On 20-21 February, the Law Development and Protection Foundation  (LDPF) and IFES conducted a pilot training on the abuse of state resources. Genya Petrosyan, Natalya Adamyan, Davit Gyurjyan, and Sergey Grigoryan, project experts, were the trainers. The training is developed as informative campaign material for the upcoming elections. It is aimed at strengthening public servants’ understanding of key rules and impartial conduct during elections.

Addressing Abuse of State Resources (ASR)

21/02/2025
The Law Development and Protection Foundation together with the International Foundations for Electoral Systems implements the component of the project“Supporting Safeguards of Democracy in Armenia (SSDA)” with the support of UK International Development from the UK Government. The component focuses on overseeing the abuse of state resources. The LDPF will conduct a Gap Analysis on ASR to assess the current legal and institutional frameworks and propose recommendations for improvement. Additionally, the LDPF will develop and pilot a training module on ASR for State and Local Self-Government officials.

2024 Armenia CSO Meter Country Report

12/02/2025
The "CSO Meter Armenia 2024" report has been published, presenting developments, challenges, and recommendations in various areas of the civic space in 2024. The overall assessment of the civil society environment in Armenia remains unchanged compared to 2023, while priority issues and challenges persist. It should be noted that the draft report was presented to the stakeholders at the end of the year, and the feedback received was incorporated into the final version. This research is part of the “CSO Meter: Empowered for Action” project, implemented with financial support from the European Union, in collaboration with ECNL and partner organizations in the Eastern Partnership countries.

Statement by a Group of Civil Society Organizations on the Strategic Partnership between Armenia and the USA

20/01/2025
On behalf of the undersigned civil society organizations, we welcome the signing of the Strategic Partnership Charter between the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America. This partnership opens new opportunities, not only for Armenia but for the entire region, contributing to regional security, peaceful and dignified coexistence, and economic cooperation. The parties also emphasize the values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, the strengthening of which will undoubtedly contribute to Armenia's development, sovereignty, and security.

Statement on not Dropping the Cases against Azerbaijan

14/01/2025
On January 9, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made several claims in a Facebook post, including suggestions for establishing lasting stability and peace with Azerbaijan. Among other suggestions, the Prime Minister stressted the following: “Withdraw the claims against each other, including, but not limited to, claims in international courts, To dissolve the OSCE MG.” We, the undersigned non-governmental organisations, condemn the proposal of the Prime Minister and consider it extremely worrying and unacceptable. We hereby demand from the RA Government and the Prime Minister not to drop the cases against Azerbaijan in international instances under any circumstances.

The Reduction of Working Hours: from 8 to 7

09/01/2025
We, the undersigned organisations, express our support for the draft law foreseeing the reduction of working hours from 8 to 7 per day, and from 40 to 35 per week. This initiative is important in terms of strengthening the workers’ right to decent work, prioritizing the workers’ health and well-being.

The Rights for All, an educational board game developed by the LDPF

26/12/2024
The Law Development and Protection Foundation has developed a game titled “The Right for Everyone” aimed at raising the awareness of the citizens, providing knowledge about human rights and the protection mechanisms thereof , as well as on the civic engagement. The game is intended for all citizens, especially for the high-school students and students not specialized in law.  The game has the following thematic areas: the purpose and role of the human rights, the fundamental values of democracy, human rights and their protection mechanisms, the functions of the state and civil society institutes, parties, civic movements in the domain of human rights, elections, branches of Government, and administrative, civic (family and labor law), and criminal procedures.
Media

Petrosyan Discusses Compulsory Enforcement and Challenging Regulatory Acts on "Your Attorney"

Genya Petrosyan, director of the LDPF,  sat down with Narine Solomonyan, host of the “Your Attorney” program to discuss the issues of administrative procedure and compulsory enforcement of judicial acts. The problems discussed were identified as part of the study carried out by the LDPF, which also proposed respective solutions. Petrosyan touched upon the solution to the problem of disproportionality of enforcement costs, the order of the distribution of confiscated funds, confiscation of non-inherited property, the real beneficiary of the debtor, and the protection of the rights of minors in this context
Events

The “Actio Popularis” Institute in Armenia’s Legal System: Legislative Developments

On March 17, 2025, representatives of sectoral civil society organizations, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court of Armenia, and the Ministry of Justice gathered for the presentation of the study titled “The Actio Popularis Institute in Armenia’s Legal System: Challenges and Solutions.”
Statements

Statement by a Group of Civil Society Organizations on the Strategic Partnership between Armenia and the USA

On behalf of the undersigned civil society organizations, we welcome the signing of the Strategic Partnership Charter between the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America. This partnership opens new opportunities, not only for Armenia but for the entire region, contributing to regional security, peaceful and dignified coexistence, and economic cooperation. The parties also emphasize the values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, the strengthening of which will undoubtedly contribute to Armenia's development, sovereignty, and security.
Legislative proposals

NGOs are concerned about the risk of disproportionate restrictions on the rights of trial participants

On 10 April 2024, the draft laws on Making Amendments and Supplements to the Civic Procedure Code and Administrative Procedure Code of the RA were circulated on the Unified Website for Publication of Legal Acts’ Drafts.The Law Development and Protection Foundation, in collaboration with the Protection of Rights without Borders NGO, the Democracy Development Foundation, the Transparency International Armenia, and the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office published an expert opinion on the draft law pointing out 3 major problematic regulations, analyzing them, and making recommendations.The organisations assert that they have studied these draft laws and have come to the conclusion that several amendments are problematic and concerning as they carry a high risk of disproportionately restricting the rights of trial parties.
Our mission is to contribute to the establishment of an independent judicial system, development of democratic institutions, protection of human rights through legal research, advocacy and implementation of targeted programs.
PUBLICATIONS
Research
Assigning particular importance to the validity of our positions, we conduct comprehensive research and analysis, revealing issues pertaining to both legislative framework and practice. We study relevant international standards, best practices and develop recommendations taking into consideration the Armenian context.
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Manuals
Through manuals we describe main legal regulations in the specific field and clearly state the steps which need to be undertaken.
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Policy papers
Through policy papers we address main issues of the particular field, analyze them and draw up recommendations, indicating the addressees of the problems.
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