Prosecutor's Statement a Major Blow to Constitutional Order: Aram Vardevanyan

The statement by the prosecutor's office and the chief prosecutor regarding the Constitutional Court's decision on parliamentary immunity is a major blow to the rule of law and constitutional order. Lines have been crossed against the High Court, which is unacceptable. This was stated by Aram Vardevanyan, a member of the ‘Armenia’ faction in the National Assembly, during a Facebook live broadcast, adding that it is evident the statement was made directly by the chief prosecutor, bearing his signature.

“Imagine the kind of behavior the prosecutor is displaying; he criticizes, expresses his regrets, and decides that the Constitutional Court has distorted the will of the Constitution. This, to put it mildly, is absurd. After this statement, we can assert that there have been clear pressures on the Constitutional Court because if the prosecutor's office announces such emotions, just imagine what kind of accumulated emotions they have had. What is very important here is that the Constitutional Court has resisted those pressures,” he said.

Aram Vardevanyan reminded that when the prosecutor assumes office, he swears to be guided by the Constitution, and being guided by the Constitution is the same as being guided by the decisions of the Constitutional Court, which is the very Constitution; and now we see what behavior is being exhibited by the prosecutor's office and the prosecutor himself.

“Another aspect is that prosecutors are obliged to demonstrate political neutrality. A question arises: was the text distributed by the prosecutor's office today more of a legal nature or political? Excuse me, it is evident that it was a political text. The only political force in Armenia that could agree with this text is the ruling political party because it is the only force that has found during these 5 months that there is no problem with three deputies being in custody. The question arises: does the prosecutor's office demonstrate political neutrality? Clearly, no,” he emphasized.

According to the representative, statements of this nature regarding the Constitutional Court were not even made when Article 300.1 was recognized as unconstitutional. He believes there should be legal consequences for the prosecutor's statement.