The Entire State Machine Has Been Mobilized for This Cause: Petrosyan on Amendments to the Constitutional Court Law

During a discussion in the National Assembly today on the draft amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court and related legislation, Gevorg Petrosyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia faction, stated that for the first time in the history of Armenia, certain officials are being forcibly sent into retirement at the legislative level.

“Of course, there may be opinions suggesting that this is not forced but voluntary, but those who don't understand that this is not voluntary are mistaken. The entire state machine has been mobilized for this cause; if it is voluntary, let these people choose,” said Petrosyan.

According to him, taxpayers would definitely not agree to pay salaries to non-working judges with the money they have contributed.

“Why has the Constitutional Court been specifically targeted? Why this particular court? Let the same enticing proposal be presented to the members of the Cassation Court and the Court of Appeals, as they too were appointed during the previous regime,” Petrosyan noted, adding that if the rationale is that the structure of the Constitutional Court is untrustworthy, it turns out that the state body seeks revenge on individuals for its dissatisfaction.

He also mentioned that if Georgia's experience is being cited, yesterday, Georgia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani advised that this experience in Armenia should be applied not against individuals but at the legislative level.

In Petrosyan's view, this is directed against individuals because the Constitutional Court has remained the only impregnable fortress, and by capturing it, the authorities would be able to implement any initiative and ratify international agreements.

The deputy asserted that the purely political motives behind this have been acknowledged by the notorious judge of the Constitutional Court, Vahe Grigoryan, who today represents the only crisis facing the Constitutional Court.