Armenian judges address justice minister, say draft laws will put their independence at risk

News.am, Armenia
Dec 21 2021

A group of judges of the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction and the Criminal Court of Appeal have addressed Minister of Justice of Armenia Karen Andreasyan with regard to the drafts of the constitutional laws on making amendments to the Constitutional Law “Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia” and on making amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court, along with their comments and suggestions.

The judges expressed certainty that the amendments proposed under the drafts are inadmissible and directly oppose the principle of legal certainty and the inadmissibility of the use of regressive force of a law, and adoption of the drafts will put the independence of judges and the judiciary at risk.

 Judges Davit Harutyunyan, Zaruhi Nakhshkaryan, Artur Stepanyan, Arman Hovhannisyan and Davit Balayan of the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction, as well as Judges Alexander Azaryan, Vazgen Rshtuni, Arshak Vardanyan and Mkhitar Papoyan of the Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia signed under the comments and suggestions.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS