Justice in Armenia is carried out 'around the bread table' - Tovmasyan

The Chair of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, Tughrul Tovmasyan, believes that the recording published by the former President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Ruben Vardazaryan, creates the impression that justice in Armenia is being delivered not in the courts, but 'around the bread table.'

“The suspended powers of the Supreme Judicial Council President Ruben Vardazaryan were terminated, and this interesting coincidence coincided with the publication of the well-known audio recording of his conversation with Gagik Jhangiryan. This fact and the content of the recording are extremely concerning. The recording published by Ruben Vardazaryan contains elements of illegal interference in the criminal prosecution process. It has created the impression among the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, and generally among everyone, that justice is being executed not in the courts, but 'around the bread table' and that the language of such 'trial' is not Armenian, but rather the slang associated with criminal subculture, mixed with insults directed at various individuals,” the opposition MP wrote on her Facebook page.

According to Tovmasyan, in this situation, it should be a sacred duty for the relevant authorities of any somewhat democratic state to thoroughly investigate all aspects of the case regarding interference in criminal justice and to punish those responsible, as well as to instill in society the conviction that justice is implemented, as required by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, solely in the courts, and not 'around the bread table' or in other unregulated places.

“I will send the transcript of the recording to international organizations and ask for evaluations from my colleagues regarding how the Supreme Judicial Council can intervene in someone’s criminal case for political reasons, threatening that individual, with the sole purpose being the preservation of political power. As the Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, I will closely monitor the investigation of this case. The right to a fair trial must not only be guaranteed in practice, but it must also be visible to society,” emphasized the MP from the 'I Have Honor' faction.