VIDEO. Leave the legal system alone. Lawyer Poghosyan arrived at the rally with a drum

"We need to leave the Republic of Armenia as a legal state alone and engage in the profession that brings us joy." This statement was made today, February 3, during a press conference by lawyer Mihran Poghosyan, who arrived at the Ajapnyak residence in Yerevan with a drum.

It should be noted that at the Ajapnyak residence of the Yerevan City Court of General Jurisdiction, which is examining petitions related to pre-trial proceedings and requests for operational-investigative measures, Judge David Arghamanyan is presiding over the examination of the NSS investigator's petition regarding the selection of detention as a preventive measure for Bakhshiyan.

Currently, several lawyers and public-political figures have gathered in the courthouse yard to express their support for Boris Bakhshiyan.

"We are in a situation in Armenia where we see people who have left what one might call the cry of their natural soul, busying themselves with ostensibly administering justice in Armenia. I brought this drum here to remind people of their inherent profession, to leave the legal system alone and come engage in what is close to their souls. To become a judge, a person must meet certain criteria, including demonstrating political restraint. A person who finds themselves in the position of a judge merely because they participated in political actions and struck the drum well during those actions has no right to administer justice. They might think they can hit the drum one day and can meddle with people’s fates the next day,” the lawyer said.

When asked whether the legal community has been convinced that David Arghamanyan will not administer justice, Poghosyan responded, “There were many publications in the press regarding the quality of justice administered by David Arghamanyan. After 2020, the authorities decided that it was a problem for them to not receive detentions in criminal cases. Specialized detention judges were created for that. These judges are relatives of several other judges with low ratings, including David Arghamanyan.”

Mihran Poghosyan also stated that he had sent his client, who had mental health issues, to detention. “Behind this time, there is the fate of every individual. If these judges spend even a week in prisons before their appointment, they will understand what it means to detain a person,” he noted.

It should be mentioned that David Arghamanyan was appointed as a judge of the newly formed court examining pre-trial proceeding cases a few months ago. Arghamanyan became known during the events of the 2018 “revolution” as a drummer. A year later, he was appointed as an assistant to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, and subsequently became a judge. Previously, David Arghamanyan regularly voiced political statements and criticisms of the judicial system on the Facebook platform. He was a legal advisor to the “My Step” alliance and an active supporter of “My Step.” He is the son of Court of Appeals Judge Mher Arghamanyan, who has been in the judicial system since 1996. Judge Arghamanyan, known for examining high-profile cases, is also criticized, as several lawyers say, for making decisions favorable to the authorities.