Criminal Prosecution Initiated Against Judge Who Released Ashot Minasyan, Says President of Armenian Judges Union

The case of Ashot Minasyan (Ashot Yerkat), commander of the Sisakan detachment, has led to a criminal prosecution initiated against the judge handling the case by the Prosecutor's Office and the National Security Service's investigative department. This statement was made by Alexander Azaryan, the president of the Armenian Judges Union.

“We express our concern regarding the ongoing prosecution against the judge of the first instance general jurisdiction court of Syunik Province, Boris Bakhshiyan, which is accompanied by the deprivation of his immunity (including personal freedom). This situation is linked to the judge's professional activities. We are closely monitoring the further developments, and if necessary, we will issue an appropriate statement,” Azaryan's announcement reads.

At the same time, attorney Erik Aleksanyan reminded on his Facebook page that Boris Bakhshiyan is the judge who is examining the criminal cases of Kajaran Mayor Manvel Paramazyan, Ashot Minasyan, and the Deputy Mayor of Goris, Menua Hovsepyan, as well as former Deputy Mayor Irina Yolyan.

According to Aleksanyan, it is evident that the prosecution process against Judge Boris Bakhshiyan commenced only after he released Manvel Paramazyan, Menua Hovsepyan, and Ashot Minasyan on bail. Therefore, he argues, it is clear that the actions taken against him in this context cannot be justified within the realm of legal rationality and legality.

He calls on his fellow attorneys not to remain silent.

It is worth noting that just days ago, on January 26, the decision by Judge Boris Bakhshiyan of the Syunik Province first instance general jurisdiction court led to a change in the pre-trial measure for Ashot Minasyan (Ashot Yerkat), who was released on bail and required to sign a pledge not to leave.