Lawyer rebukes Pashinyan over judicial remarks

Armenian lawyer Raffi Aslanyan has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of distorting judicial principles while promoting constitutional changes, saying his recent comments undermine the independence of the courts.

Writing on social media on Friday, Aslanyan criticized Pashinyan’s remarks at a recent press conference, where he questioned how defendants could be acquitted despite incriminating evidence. Aslanyan argued that Pashinyan ignored long-standing legal standards, noting that courts must determine whether a crime is proven through admissible evidence, not simply whether it was committed.

“Justice sometimes diverges from objective reality,” Aslanyan wrote, pointing to rulings by Armenia’s Court of Cassation and the European Court of Human Rights that emphasize the inadmissibility of improperly obtained evidence. He recalled a 2009 case in which judge Marine Melkonyan acquitted two defendants who had confessed to drug charges, ruling that the evidence against them was inadmissible.

Aslanyan stated that Pashinyan’s push for constitutional changes was demanded by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and aimed at tightening control over political opponents. He accused the prime minister of invoking “European values” while prioritizing his own political survival.

“You only care about power and luxury lifestyle,” Aslanyan added.