ArmeniaNow Following a review of about 100 cases in which Armenian opposition sympathizers have been jailed, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has said the legislative process in Armenia lacks necessary human rights safeguards.

Referencing the 114-page report Janez Lenarcic, director of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), pointed out a failure of the judicial branch to fairly judge cases. The report criticized judges for allowing indiscriminate pre-trial detention and for conspicuously and overwhelmingly siding with prosecution.

Speaking at a seminar in Yerevan Thursday Lenarcic said he is hopeful that a draft Code of Procedural Justice currently under debate will improve human rights protection in Armenia.

“The authorities have already taken into account some of our recommendations, but much remains to be done to ensure fair trials, judicial independence and a genuine separation of powers,” he said.

Lenarcic held separate meetings with Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan and Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepyan, in which, according his office’s statement, he “stressed the importance of respecting the freedom of assembly and exercising utmost restraint in policing peaceful gatherings.”