Member of the Supreme Judicial Council Decides to Resign

The member of the Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia, Grigor Bekmezian, has posted on his Facebook page announcing his decision to resign from his duties. Below is the full statement:

"I would like to inform that today I have decided to resign from my position as a member of the Supreme Judicial Council, and I have already submitted the appropriate application to the Council. The reasons, I believe, are deep and institutional. Disagreeing with the events surrounding the Council in recent months, I have tried, within the framework of my powers and opportunities, to exclude or prevent various processes that would undermine the independence of the Council and the judicial authority.

As a member of the Council, being constrained by the legal limitations, I have been unable to publicize my concerns that have arisen from the events surrounding the Council. However, at the same time, as a member of the Council, I have done everything I could to prevent or mitigate those processes that could negatively affect the Council's activities. I have succeeded in some places and failed in others. I have informed my colleagues and relevant authorities about my concerns. Even during my recent interviews, I have subtly indicated my concerns because I have always had one principle: not to lie, avoid demagoguery, but to speak about what I feel, see, or what worries me.

I have always been given hope by the fact that the Council is a collegial body and that one or two members cannot have a decisive voice and cannot impose their desired decisions in any case. Unfortunately, the processes of the last week, including today, have fundamentally proven to me that my and the majority of the Council members' understandings regarding the independence of the Supreme Judicial Council do not match each other. Analyzing the events of the last few months and the processes of the last week, I have come to realize that the Supreme Judicial Council is no longer the Council that is provided for by the Constitution and the Judicial Code. Of course, I could stay and continue the struggle for the independence of the Council and the judicial authority, but the inertia of the majority of my colleagues and their lack of support suggest to me that I no longer have a place in the Council. The oath of a Council member does not allow freely voicing the existing issues, and therefore, considering it my duty to constantly fight for the independence of the judicial authority, I have decided to do this outside of the Council, which will grant me more freedom and perhaps a greater opportunity to prevent the negative processes occurring within the judicial authority."