Lawyers' Chamber Condemns Intervention in Justice by Prime Minister Pashinyan

The Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia has issued a statement: "The council of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia (hereinafter referred to as the Chamber), with the participation of the Chairman of the Chamber Ara Zohrabyan, council members Karapet Aghajanyan, Melanya Arustamyan, Sedrak Asatryan, Simon Babayan, Tigran Khurshudyan, Harutyun Harutyunyan, Karen Mejlumyan, Karen Sardarayan, Hrant Ananyan, and Armen Feroyan, held an emergency session on December 1, 2020, and decided to:

• Condemn the intervention by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the execution of justice.
• Urge state bodies and high-ranking officials to refrain from any actions that may undermine the independence and authority of the judiciary.
• Encourage representatives of the judiciary to act exclusively within the framework of the powers conferred upon them by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Armenia.

The decision pertains to questions raised during a meeting held by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 30, 2020, with leaders of the law enforcement system, including representatives of the judiciary.

In the view of the council of the Chamber of Advocates concerning the independence of the judiciary:

• It is unacceptable for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia to conduct consultations or discussions with representatives of the judicial system, particularly judges, regarding specific criminal cases.
• The questions raised during the consultation about applying detention as a preventive measure in specific criminal cases (including the case of the attack on the Speaker of the National Assembly) are concerning regarding the approval or rejection of requests for detention.