On 4 October 2016, certificates were awarded to 22 trainers of the Justice Academy who successfully passed training-of-trainers courses on 1) General criminal investigative methodology, 2) Investigations of alleged torture and ill-treatment and cases involving the right to life, 3) Investigations involving vulnerable victim/witnesses and suspects and 4) Pretrial detention and related investigatory issues.

The four courses were designed to provide the trainers with a profound knowledge of international and national standards relating to the right to life, prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, deprivation of liberty and the procedural limb of these fundamental rights. The ultimate goal of these courses is to contribute to the fight against impunity and to strengthen the rule of law in the country. In addition, the trainers were equipped with tools and techniques essential for the delivery of high quality trainings on human rights issues; and the sessions also helped them to link the newly acquired knowledge with their practical experience and further enhance their skills.

The certificate award ceremony was chaired by Ms Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and was attended by Ambassador Mr Piotr Switalski, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, by Mr Artur Davtyan, Prosecutor General of Armenia, by Mr Arman Tatoyan, Human Rights Defender of Armenia and other high level officials.

The ceremony was organised within the scope of the Project on “Supporting the criminal justice reform and combating ill-treatment and impunity in Armenia”, funded within the European Union and Council of Europe Programmatic Cooperation Framework in the Eastern Partnership Countries for 2015-2017.