Lawyers warn against proposal to close Armenia's judge accountability website

By Siranush Adamyan

Armenian lawyers and legal experts have criticized a proposal by the Anti-Corruption Committee to shut down HelpCourt.am, a private platform that allows lawyers to rate judges, calling the initiative unlawful and a threat to freedom of expression and private initiative.

Last week, the Anti-Corruption Committee asked the Justice Ministry to consider terminating the platform's activities and introducing legislation banning similar private judge-rating platforms. The committee argued that HelpCourt raises "serious institutional concerns" related to judicial independence, the reputation of the justice system and the risk of external influence.

Also read: Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee seeks closure of judge-rating platform

Levon Sahakyan, the lawyer who founded HelpCourt.am, questioned the legal basis of the committee's proposal, arguing that the body has no authority to seek the closure of a private platform.

Speaking to CivilNet, Sahakyan said HelpCourt was created nearly 10 years ago to improve transparency and public accountability in Armenia's judiciary by allowing lawyers to share professional assessments of judges based on their courtroom experience.

Rather than undermining judicial independence, the platform strengthens it, he said.

"We publish lawyers' professional assessments of judicial decisions they consider clearly justified or unjustified. This serves as a counterbalance to state power, not as a tool of pressure," Sahakyan said.

The Anti-Corruption Committee argues that the platform is flawed because only lawyers can submit ratings. Sahakyan rejected that criticism, saying lawyers represent opposing sides in civil and administrative proceedings, while both defense lawyers and victims' representatives can evaluate judges in criminal cases.

"It is therefore incorrect to claim that only one side is represented," he said.

He also argued that lawyers act independently, whereas investigators and prosecutors operate within a hierarchical chain of command, making their assessments potentially more vulnerable to institutional influence.

Sahakyan acknowledged that HelpCourt was never presented as a perfect evaluation system but said no more effective alternative has been proposed. He suggested the initiative may have been prompted by the discomfort of state agencies that regularly appear in court opposite defense lawyers.

Lawyer Ara Ghazaryan described the proposal as unprecedented, saying he could not understand why the Anti-Corruption Committee had become involved in the activities of a private platform.

He also questioned why the proposal had been addressed to the Justice Ministry, noting that the ministry has no legal authority to shut down privately operated websites.

"It is like asking the Justice Ministry to close any other private website. The ministry has no such function and cannot have one," Ghazaryan said.

He said the initiative also raised concerns over freedom of expression.

"Even if someone believes such a platform creates problems, that is not sufficient grounds for shutting it down. It is a private initiative. If no crime is being committed, there are no calls for violence, and people are simply expressing opinions about judges' work, a state body cannot propose closing the website," he said.

Ghazaryan added that similar attempts to block websites in Turkey had prompted immediate criticism from Council of Europe institutions as violations of freedom of expression.

What is HelpCourt?

HelpCourt.am was launched about 10 years ago as an initiative aimed at increasing transparency and public accountability in Armenia's judicial system.

Members of Armenia's Chamber of Advocates can leave positive or negative assessments of judges and specific court decisions based on their professional experience. The platform currently contains ratings for 338 judges.

Among the judges with low ratings is Armine Meliksetyan, who sentenced Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to two and a half years in prison. Judge Masis Melkonyan, who ordered the pretrial detention of several senior clergy members and lawyer Alexander Kochubayev, also has a negative overall rating.

The Anti-Corruption Committee has proposed discussing both the closure of HelpCourt and a legal ban on similar private judge-rating platforms. HelpCourt has rejected the proposal and says it will continue operating lawfully.