Armenia’s SJC suspends judge Boris Bakhshiyan

Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has suspended judge Boris Bakhshiyan, pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings against him, according to a decision posted on the official website of the Armenian judiciary on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the SJC approved a request of Prosecutor-General Artur Davtyan to allow the law enforcement authorities to prosecute and arrest Bakhshiyan, a judge of the Syunik Court of General Jurisdiction.

The decision came days after Bakhshiyan ruled to release jailed opposition figure and war veteran Ashot Minasyan on bail.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office claims the criminal case has nothing to with the release of Minasyan and is related to Bakhshiyan’s “baseless” order to arrest a defendant in a case he is dealing with. However, his lawyers have rejected the charges as “political persecution”.