Charges Filed Against Alexander Sirunyan

The judge of the first instance general jurisdiction court of Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions, Sargis Hovhannisyan, has submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General's Office against lawyer and ruling party member Alexander Sirunyan. The basis for the complaint was a post made by the lawyer on Facebook: “There’s one region where the head of the investigation allocates cases for judges. He decides which judge should write which motion. These herbs also talk a lot; they are being examined. They don’t understand that a motion is not a …, it cannot be talked about inappropriately.”

In his complaint, the judge mentioned that on August 6, 2025, he was called by the spokesperson of the criminal courts, who indicated that they had contacted Sirunyan for clarification regarding his post. Sirunyan purportedly specified whom he was referring to, and the spokesperson sent relevant document photos. Thus, the judge decided to restore his dignity by seeking criminal charges against the offending lawyer.

Lawyer Sirunyan told Hraparak that the Investigative Committee has already conducted an investigation, completed it, and the prosecutor has confirmed the charges, sending the case to court, which is currently under the jurisdiction of Judge Harutyun Manukyan. Sirunyan holds the status of defendant, and a preventive measure prohibiting his absence has also been applied.

The indictment states: “Alexander Sergey Sirunyan is charged with showing disrespect towards the court in regards to the motions submitted by the investigative body to the general jurisdiction court of Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions, wherein he has insulted the judge in connection with the performance of official duties.” Regarding why Judge Sargis Hovhannisyan has taken the post “personally” and approached the prosecutor's office, Sirunyan stated that everything will become clear in court.

Despite being a member of the ruling party, Alexander Sirunyan has repeatedly criticized the prosecution office, particularly the Prosecutor General Anna Vardanyan. The initiation of this criminal case and its rapid forwarding to court may also be attributed to the personal interest of the Prosecutor General.