Davit Khachaturyan
Born in 1975 in Yerevan, Armenia.
Education
• Yerevan State University Law Department, (1992-1997) Juris Doctor degree (Diploma with Honours)
• Yerevan State University Law Department, (1997-2000), Post-graduate Program (PhD Thesis: “Organizational and procedural safeguards of judicial independence in Armenia”)
Membership of professional bodies
Member of the Armenian Bar (Licensed Attorney from 2016, specialization criminal law and human rights, suspended in 2021, due to election to the Supreme Judicial Council of the Republic of Armenia)
Current position
Member of the Supreme Judicial Council of the Republic of Armenia (elected by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia in January 2021)
Main areas of expertise
• Constitutional reforms
• Fundamental rights
• Rule of law
• Judicial reforms, including Reform of the Prosecutor’s Office
• Rule of Law
• Substantive Criminal Law
• Procedural Criminal Law
Languages
• Armenian mother tongue, full fluency in English and Russian (with proven record of 5 years of professional simultaneous interpretation).
Professional experience
01/21 to date – Member of Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of the Republic of Armenia Member
09/13 to 05/20 - Associate Professor at Law Department of Yerevan State University (Developed and taught courses for the Master Program: a) “European standards for the human rights protection in criminal proceedings” and “Lawyers’ Professional Skills”
05/18- to 12/19 – Senior non-key expert of Corporate & public Management Consulting International OU/ European Union, Activity 1.1 (Twinning Fiche on Anti-Corruption and Ethics) under EU funded project: “Development and strategic Studies” - Annual Action Programme 2011, Framework Programme, in support of the EU-Armenia agreements.
11/15 – 12/17 - Expert on Rule of law/Justice of Altair Asesores SL / European Commission under EU funded project: ENP Progress Reports and Assessment Reports on Armenia´s Compliance with GSP+ obligations.
06/15 - 12/16 - National Legal expert of “Strengthening health care and human rights protection in prisons in Armenia” Project.
04-05/16 - Senior non-key expert on Rule of law/Justice of DADA 6 OU /European commission under EU funded project “Development and Strategic Studies”.
12/14-12/15 - Legal Consultant of ARD Inc. Armenia Branch under USAID funded “Support to the Armenian National Assembly” Project under the “Democracy and Governance” Programme.
08/14-12/15 – legal expert and trainer of American Bar Association (ABA) Rule of Law Initiative, under Reform of Criminal Justice Programme
01/13-12/14 - Vice-Rector and professor of the Academy of Justice (Developed and taught of courses: a) “Foundations and current trends of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)” - for judicial candidates of criminal, civil and administrative specialization, and prosecutorial candidates; b) “Current issues of the ECtHR case law in criminal matters” for judicial candidates of criminal specialisation, prosecutorial candidates, acting judges adjudicating criminal cases, and acting prosecutors and c) “Current issues of judicial development of the law” - for judicial candidates of criminal, civil and administrative specialization, and acting judges
2009-2013 - member and 2015-2019 Chair of the Board of Directors and Member of Strategic Litigations Board (2009-to date), of the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, Member of Justice Group (2015-2019)
03/06-12/13 - U.S. Embassy in Yerevan: from March to Dec 2006 – Program Assistant of the U.S. International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (under the U.S. Department of State), and from January 2007 to December 2013 – Legal Specialist of the U.S. Department of Justice
06/03—03/06 - National Legal Expert of the EU funded and UNDP implemented SCAD Program (Southern Caucasus Anti-Drug Program)
08/01-02/02 - Legal Adviser of the Freedom of Information Center under USAID “Democracy and Governance” Project.
11/00 -10/05 - Legal Adviser of the Council of Court Chairmen of Armenia
Publications
More than 30 scientific publications and research papers, including 4 monographs, in the area of protection of human rights, judicial and legal reforms, the most relevant of which are as follows:
• (Research paper for advocacy purposes) “Ensuring autonomy, accountability and efficiency of the Prosecutor’s Office and the preliminary investigation bodies in Armenia: comparative analysis of legislation and practices and international standards” (300 pages) (2020, under auspices of Open Society Institutions-Armenia)
• (Article) “Subject, standard and methods of proving illicit enrichment and its predicate crimes”, Compendium of Materials of International Scientific Conference, Volume 1, p. 130-147, December 2017, Saransk, Russia, in Russian
• (Article) “Gnoseological grounds of the acquittal judgment as a method of determination of the object of judicial cognition”, “State and Law”, N-2(72), Yerevan, 2016, p. 187-203, in Russian
• (Article) “Cooperation agreements: Philosophical and criminological foundations, scope and procedure of application, safeguards of efficiency and ways of development”, “State and Law”, N-2(64), Yerevan, 2014, p. 68-88
• (Research paper for advocacy purposes) “Legislative and other measures of prevention, investigation and successful prosecution of torture in Armenia” (54 pages) (2015, under auspices of Open Society Institutions-Armenia)
• (Commentaries to the RA Constitution) “Comments to Article 55, para 12,13,14 and 17 (authorities of the President of the Republic of Armenia as a Commander-in-Chief, authorities to declare emergency situation and martial law, and to grant pardon to convicts), in Comments to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, under edition of the President of the Constitutional Court, Yerevan, 2010
• (Article) “Standard case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on admissibility of evidence”, “ECtHR Bulletin”, N 3, Yerevan, 2009, p. 3-39
• (Article) “The court judgment as a torture towards the victim: the impact of the case law of the EctHR case law impact on the criminal policies of the Council of Europe member states from the perspective of Article 3 (Prohibition of Torture) of the ECHR” “The Lawyer”, N 8, Yerevan, 2008, p. 17-24
• (Article) “Functional linkage of the European Court of Human Rights with the courts of general jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia in the light of judicial and legal reforms”, in Strategic litigation in Caucasus, Georgian NGO “Article 42 of Constitution”, N-1, 2008, p. 10-11, in Russian
• (Monograph) “Sending a Criminal Case on Remittal for Additional Investigation: Comparative and Historical Legal Analysis”, 100 pages, Yerevan, 2007
• (Monograph) “Freedom of Information in the Republic of Armenia: Guidebook for Judges, Prosecutors, Investigators and Advocates”, 96 pages, Yerevan, 2005
• (Article) “The European Convention on Human Rights as a domestic legal authority of direct application: Interpretation of the law and the supremacy of law”, “Judicial Power”, NN-7-8(59-60), Yerevan, 2003-2004, p. 46-57
• (Article) “The idea and the notion of the “court”: The court as an addressee of a human's right to a fair trial. Legislation of the Republic of Armenia from the viewpoint of European standards of a “court”, “Judicial Power”, NN-11(63) and 12(64), 2004
• (Monograph) “The Status of Judges in the Republic of Armenia: Comparative-Legal Analysis”, (in co-authorship), 290 pages, Yerevan, 2002
• (Article) Chapter “Media and Judiciary” in “The Bench Book for Armenian judges”, Yerevan, 2002
• “Code of Ethics for Judicial Reporters”, (in co-authorship), Yerevan, 2002
• (Monograph) “Independence of Judges in the Republic of Armenia: guarantees of judicial organization and criminal procedure”, 280 pages, Yerevan, 2001, in Russian
Trainings and conferennces, other activities
• November 2016, Geneva, Switzerland - Participation in writing a shadow report of civil society organizations on Armenia's honoring its international obligations under the UN Convention against torture, and key note presenter of the report at the 59th session of the UN Committee against Torture in November, 2016
• 2012-2013, 2015-2018, European Parliament, European Commission Brussels, Belgium – Advocacy visits dedicated to Armenia's honouring its commitments under the European Neighbourhood Policy, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+)
• 2011, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, D.C., U.S. – Public speaking on “Human rights and Rule of Law: To what Degree are human rights respected and Rule of Law observed?” at the event “The South Caucasus: 20 Years after Independence”
• October 2-7, 2005, Montreal, Canada – “Judicial Mediation and Facilitation”, study-visit course for Justices and policy makers of the Supreme courts and the heads of the Judicial training Centers of the Council of Europe member-states, organized by the Council of Europe and the Court of Appeal of Quebec, sponsored by the Council of Europe (participated as a policy-maker)
• February 10-12, 2005, Tbilisi, Georgia – Regional Conference on “Judicial Independence and Discipline”, for judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals of the Southern Caucasus states (spokesperson for the Armenian delegation), organized by ABA CEELI under auspices of USAID
• June-October 2004, Yerevan, Armenia – RA inter-ministerial working Group composed for answering the questionnaires of GRECO (Group of States against Corruption, Strasbourg, France), based on the Council of Europe Criminal and Civil Law Conventions against Corruption. Team-leadership on working level, coordination of the reporting from different state agencies (such as Prosecutor’s Service, Police, Control Chamber, etc.), providing independent expert responses for the questions on institutional framework, criminal and criminal procedural law.