Armenia's SJC used to pressure judges, lawyer warns

Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, President of the International and Comparative Law Center, expressed serious concerns about the activity of Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) at the annual meeting of the European Association of Judges (EAJ) held in Yerevan on Thursday.

“We are facing a major issue with the Supreme Judicial Council’s conduct,” Sahakyan stated, warning that the watchdog, meant to uphold judicial independence and ensure the proper functioning of courts, has instead become a tool for exerting indirect pressure on judges.

She accused the SJC of misusing disciplinary proceedings to remove judges deemed undesirable, effectively engaging in a vetting of the judiciary.

Sahakyan emphasized that many members of the Armenian Union of Judges have been targeted by this selective approach. “The SJC fails to ensure fundamental impartiality in disciplinary proceedings,” the lawyer said. “Moreover, we are witnessing coordinated actions between the SJC and the minister of justice, who frequently initiates these cases.”

“These proceedings often violate the basic rights of judges,” she stated.