Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Photo by Tigran Petrosyan for the Caucasian Knot

21 May 2019, 14:16

Pashinyan puts independence of judiciary under threat

The call of Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian Premier, to block courthouses is beyond the Armenian legislation, said Larisa Alaverdyan, a former Armenian Ombudsperson. The police failed to take actions to unblock courthouses, as they obey the Prime Minister, not the law, Avetik Ishkhanyan, a rights defender, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in response to the release of Robert Kocharyan from custody, Nikol Pashinyan called on his supporters to block courthouses throughout the country. Supporters reacted to the appeal and would not allow the staff of the courts to start working on May 20. In the afternoon, however, Mr Pashinyan urged his supporters to stop the action, stating that the parliament should initiate a judiciary reform.

The Prime Minister's call to block courthouses is outside the framework of both Armenian legislation and the country's international commitments, Larisa Alaverdyan, the first Armenian ombudsperson, now the head of the NGO "Against legal arbitrariness", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on May 20.

She has noted that this step threatens the independence of the judiciary.

Nikol Pashinyan and his supporters act according to the logic of revolution, Avetik Ishkhanyan, a rights defender and the head of the Armenian Helsinki Committee, has stated. In his opinion, this was an attempt to terrorize the judges, disloyal to the new authorities.

Law enforcers were not instructed to suppress illegal actions, since the police are directly subordinate to Nikol Pashinyan, and not the rule of law, Mr Ishkhanyan has added.

In his opinion, Nikol Pashinyan seeks to take control over all branches of power.

"Undoubtedly, the reform of the judicial system is a must, but it should be done according to the law, and not arbitrarily, by blocking courthouses," the rights defender has emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 21, 2019 at 05:11 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan Source: CK correspondent

Комментирование через Кавказский узел
All news
НАСТОЯЩИЙ МАТЕРИАЛ (ИНФОРМАЦИЯ) ПРОИЗВЕДЕН И РАСПРОСТРАНЕН ИНОСТРАННЫМ АГЕНТОМ ООО “МЕМО”, ЛИБО КАСАЕТСЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИНОСТРАННОГО АГЕНТА ООО “МЕМО”.

April 02, 2025 22:55

  • Verdict to Sochi resident Schus upheld

    The appellate court has refused to change the sentence passed to Alexei Schus, a Sochi engineer, convicted on charges of spreading fake news about the Russian Army and making a slingshot.

April 02, 2025 21:15

  • Kurban Dalgatov's mother assess trial prospects of her son's death case

    The law enforcers guilty of the death of Kurban Dalgatov, a Makhachkala resident, are trying in every way to avoid punishment, while the judges are following their lead, the mother of Kurban, who died after being tortured by the police. The trial of Dalgatov's death case will continue on April 30 this year.

April 01, 2025 22:38

April 01, 2025 21:57

April 01, 2025 21:42

News archive
Пн
Вт
Ср
Чт
Пт
Сб
Вс
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4