Judge says Pashinyan's comments on Karapetyan case don't amount to pressure on court

The Armenian judge presiding over the criminal case against businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan said on Friday that remarks by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan do not constitute pressure on the judiciary, stressing that judges decide cases solely on the basis of the law and the facts before them.

Speaking to reporters before attending the General Assembly of Judges, Anti-Corruption Court judge Vahe Dolmazyan dismissed suggestions that political statements by the country's leadership could influence judicial proceedings.

Asked whether Pashinyan's public comments that Karapetyan should be imprisoned amounted to pressure or an attempt to influence the court, Dolmazyan said political leaders are entitled to make political statements but that such remarks do not affect judicial decision-making.

"The country's leader, for various reasons, may make political statements," Dolmazyan said. "They do not constitute instructions, because every judge decides a case based on its specific circumstances and in accordance with the requirements of criminal procedure."

Dolmazyan also rejected suggestions that his approach to administering justice has changed over the years in response to criticism of the judiciary.

"I have approached the administration of justice the same way throughout my career — as an investigator, a prosecutor and now as a judge," he said. "I am the same judge today that I was in 2010 and in the years that followed."

He added that every member of Armenia's law enforcement and judicial system takes an oath upon assuming office and is duty-bound to uphold the law regardless of who appears before the court.

"It makes no difference who is the defendant," Dolmazyan said. "Justice must be administered in every case."