Say who has the experience I have or is suitable for this position: Safaryan on being nominated as a judge of the Constitutional Court

Stepan Safaryan's sister, lawyer Seda Safaryan, has been nominated by the authorities as a candidate for judge of the Constitutional Court. She stated at a government meeting that the authorities would not regret nominating her for the position, as she would justify their expectations. To clarify what Ms. Safaryan means and how she envisions her work at the Constitutional Court despite lacking judicial experience, we tried to reach out directly to Seda Safaryan. This was reported by the newspaper "Hraparak."

- Ms. Safaryan, you have been nominated as a candidate for the Constitutional Court judge. This has sparked intense discussions online. A significant part of the public does not agree with this decision; what is the reason behind it?

- Well, let them discuss among themselves whatever they want. No matter what sensible opinion is voiced, some must criticize.

- You don’t have professional experience as a judge; you have been a lawyer. How do you envision your work at the Constitutional Court? Will the lack of experience hinder you?

- No, it will not hinder me at all.

- You mentioned that the authorities would not regret nominating you. What did you mean by that?

- I said it for confidence's sake. People trust me and nominate me; in other words, there will be no moment of distrust when they say, 'What a bad specialist we have nominated.' The issue of regret that you emphasize does not relate to your context. It refers to the fact that if they have entrusted and nominated me as a candidate for Constitutional Court judge, I will justify them with my professional qualifications.

- Your and your brother's political views are known to all. You have a particularly negative attitude towards the opposition and sympathize with the current authorities. Do your political views not hinder your impartiality as a judge?

- Those are your interpretations. I did not say such a thing. I have always criticized corrupt phenomena. I am constantly ready to notice and speak out about corrupt phenomena. What does it mean that I sympathize with the current authorities? The authorities that allow us more freedom in our work and do not have criminal inclinations can simply be trusted. I have worked as a lawyer under all authorities; I have done my job and spoken about corrupt phenomena. I have entered the court the same way throughout all regimes and have voiced my opinions the same way.

- What about your involvement in the March 1 case?

- What does March 1 have to do with my nomination as a judge of the Constitutional Court? What connection does it have?

- But how is it that you were specifically nominated?

- Who else would they nominate? You tell me someone who has as much experience as I do or who is more suitable for this position than me. If you tell me who is more suitable, maybe they will consider it.

- So, do you think there is no more experienced lawyer in Armenia than you?

- I did not say that.

Details can be found in today’s issue of the newspaper.