July 7, 2006

Constitution Day Panel Discussion at AUA: The Legacy of Mkhitar Gosh and the Rule of Law

Yerevan - 7 July. The AUA Department of Law, on the occasion of Constitution Day of Armenia, hosted a panel discussion celebrating Mkhitar Gosh and his Legacy of Law in Armenia, entitled "Lessons from Mkhitar Gosh: 800 Years of Legal Tradition."

Panel participants included Tom Samuelian (Dean, AUA Law Department), who presented Mkhitar Gosh as a legal pragmatist, and Fr. Sasoon Zumrookhdian of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Vicar for Tavush Marz, who spoke on the topic of "Mkhitar Gosh: A New Tradition." Also present were Prof. Garnik Safaryan from the Institute of Law and Politics of the National Academy of Sciences, who described Mkhitar Gosh's legacy, and Gagik Ghazinyan, Dean of the YSU Law Department, who presented Mkhitar Gosh's "Datastanagirk".

"800 years ago, Mkhitar Gosh studied international best practice and compiled an exemplary law code based on the real needs and Christian values of Armenia. It was such a good compilation that it was translated into other languages and used by Armenian and non-Armenian communities in Europe and elsewhere for nearly 500 years. While times have changed, the value of Mkhitar Gosh's insights into the methods of creating good laws has not. Today's Seminar at AUA is being held in conjunction with two important national holidays: RA Constitution Day (July 5) and Sts. Trdat and Ashkhen Day (July 8), whom we honor this week as the founders of Armenia's Christian state along with St. Gregory the Illuminator in 301. The festivities will culminate in the blessing of civil servants and jurists during a pilgrimage to Goshavank on Saturday, July 8, under the auspices of the Gugark Diocese of the Armenian Church"- stated Tom Samuelian.

The event was free and open to the public. Approximately 50 people attended the panel discussion, included students, members of the press, judges, and advocates, as well as representatives from bar associations and the National Assembly.

Photo from left to right - Garnik Safaryan National Academy of Sciences; Tom Samuelian, Dean, AUA Law Department; Gagik Ghazinyan, Dean YSU; Fr. Sasoon Zumrookhdian, Armenian Apostolic Church.