Court Imprisons 22-Year-Old Girl, Who Is Just a Judge's Assistant: Vardevanyan

Imagine a judicial system where the perception is that a 22-year-old girl with a law degree, who is merely a judge's assistant and against whom there is no horrific evidence, must be imprisoned. This was noted by Aram Vardevanyan, a member of the Armenia Parliament’s ‘Hayastan’ faction, on his Facebook page.

“In 2021, a new specialized court was established for pre-trial criminal procedure oversight cases, popularly known as the ‘Detention Court.’ This 'court' was primarily staffed with specially selected ‘judges.’ I am convinced that the public demand for judicial reforms did not involve creating a ‘Detention Court’; this was merely the perspective of the current authorities. Today, we find ourselves in a reality where this ‘court’ imprisons a 22-year-old girl who is just a judge's assistant. This is precisely the fetishism of detention,” he stated.

“I have repeatedly spoken about this unacceptable phenomenon. Imagine a judicial system where the perception is that a 22-year-old girl with a law degree, who is merely a judge's assistant and against whom there is no horrific evidence, must be imprisoned. Such a retaliatory response from the law enforcement system reduces the right to personal freedom to a mere formality, leaving it only on paper. I remind you that according to the criminal procedure code, the Prosecutor's Office can change this situation at any time simply by instructing the investigator to release the detainee, thus demonstrating a clear approach to prevent the fetishization of detention, but we have not seen such actions in any case...”