On 17 October 2016, Amendments to the Law on Attorneyship of the Republic of Armenia (RA) were adopted by the RA National Assembly aiming at inclusion of asylum-seeker into free legal aid scheme.
Photo(c.) UNHCR
Beginning 14 November 2016 when the amendments entered into force, Public Defenders will be obliged to provide free legal aid to vulnerable groups, including, asylum-seekers.
Highlighting the importance of the Amendments to the Law on Attorneyship, the UNHCR Representative in Armenia, Mr. Christoph Bierwirth, said, “UNHCR stands ready to further capacitate the RA Public Defenders for provision of quality legal services to the persons of concern to UNHCR. We continuously support the government authorities on ongoing and future legislative reform processes to the benefit of asylum-seekers, refugees and displaced persons seeking protection in Armenia.’’
The Head of the Office of the Public Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Melanya Arustamyan, stated, ‘’This was an important development bringing the relevant national legislation into conformity with the 2015 Amendments to the RA Law on Refugees and Asylum, where free legal aid for asylum-seekers was already stipulated.’’
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