My and Your Interest is That I Come Out Correct: Debate Between Minasyan and Kocharyan

The Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Defense and Security Issues of the RA National Assembly, Andranik Kocharyan, considers the appointment of Grigoryan as the head of the RA Penitentiary Service in Ambak to be erroneous. He made this statement during today's session of the NA Standing Committee on Legal Affairs, which sparked a debate with the Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan.

“In Ambak, Grigoryan was one of the most important investigators in the March 1 investigative group. My perceptions may be acute, but are we closing the case of March 1 with this, or is it still open? All investigators in this case should be thoroughly studied before making appointments, especially since the penitentiary system is a very complex and challenging system with intricate relationships,” emphasized Kocharyan.

According to him, it is not enough to simply reform the system; the appointed leader must be very well acquainted with the system, especially since 'brotherhood' continues to remain in a privileged position in the RA penitentiary institutions, starting from their rooms and furnishings.

“All these facts have been presented before Mr. Grigoryan. If these facts continue to exist, then we are very far from the word 'reform'. That world has adapted to its unique place, and that adaptation imposes itself on the state as well. The state cannot adapt to their rules of the game; they cannot manage external processes from the inside,” Kocharyan noted.

In defense of Grigoryan, who was appointed as the head of the RA Penitentiary Service on December 18, 2023, Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan stated that today it is impossible to find someone who has served in the military, a 'uniformed' person, who has not worked in the system before 2018.

“It is possible to find inexperienced, fresh graduate individuals, but the experienced ones worked until 2018 as well. I do not want to make grandiose promises, but I can assure you that Grigoryan is a very incorruptible and principled servant, in my view. And we should note that he should be assessed based on work, not on my taste or yours,” said the Minister.

He called on the new head of the penitentiary to be given time and support in this complex job, so that they can later enjoy the results.

“Mr. Kocharyan, there can naturally be transfers that may not sit well with you, as you know that person in a different context, but those are very subjective perceptions. The only thing we can make decisions and form opinions on is the result; everything else is false. By the end of this year, you will be sitting here saying, 'Mr. Minasyan, you said this, what happened to the result...' Or I will come out right, saying, 'Mr. Kocharyan, did you see it worked out?' I hope in this case, my and your interest is that I come out correctly, even if you lose,” Minasyan said.

In response, Andranik Kocharyan stated that he did not come to the session to win or lose, but rather he wants both the minister and the new head of the penitentiary to succeed, and for that to happen, they need to work harmoniously with all structures.

“You are inexperienced in this system too; I am more experienced than you. To carry out reforms, you need to have a qualified team. You can have our support in choosing the team; even the support of those sitting in the isolation ward should be secured, since the most substantial information is to be obtained from there, regarding how individuals behave, how their lives are organized there, and what kind of impact the servants have on that life, since that influence also has a material nature. It is no secret that both inside and outside, huge amounts of resources are circulating through drugs, phones, etc.,” Kocharyan stated. At the end, he wished the minister and his team success and exited the hall.