Yerevan, Armenia, April 2, 2012 — The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) office in Armenia (ABA CEELI) will host a national conference on Armenia’s draft Criminal Procedure Code on April 10th at the Marriott Hotel in Yerevan.

Funded by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics & Law Enforcement Affairs, ABA ROLI recently implemented its Detention Procedure Assessment Tool (DPAT) in Armenia to evaluate the country’s law and practice with respect to pre-trial detention and sentencing.

The DPAT found that detention continued to be “imposed far too frequently both at the pre-trial and dispositional stages.” Following the implementation of the assessment a working group was established to craft recommendations to strengthen the Criminal Procedure Code. The conference will discuss the working group’s recommendations.

The DPAT working group’s legislative recommendations focus on curbing the overuse of detention and on addressing other procedural rights issues in criminal justice. The recommendations are based on a CPC “Concept Paper,” research from other jurisdictions and the DPAT findings. ABA ROLI will host the conference to encourage an open discussion on the Criminal Procedure Code and to enrich the process of revising the code.

WHAT:    A National Conference on Armenia’s Draft Criminal Procedure Code

WHO:        The ABA Rule of Law Initiative Office in Armenia (ABA CEELI)

 WHEN:    Tuesday, April 10, 2012
                     4:00—7:00 p.m.

WHERE:   Marriott Hotel in Yerevan
                      1 Armirian St, Yerevan 0010, Armenia

The American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is a non-profit program grounded in the belief that rule of law promotion is the most effective long-term antidote to the most pressing problems facing the world today, including poverty, conflict, endemic corruption and disregard for human rights. We implement legal reform programs in more than 50 countries, with more than 700 professional staff working around the world, including volunteers who, since the program’s inception, have contributed more than $200 million in pro-bono technical legal assistance.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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