ARMENIAN ATTORNEYS PROTEST COUNCIL OF JUSTICE DECISION TO STRIP JUDGE OF POWER

epress.am
07.07.2011

About 100 attorneys were protesting a Council of Justice decision
outside the RA Court of Cassation near the Chamber of Advocates of
the Republic of Armenia today.

Their protest was tied to the following incident: On Jun. 22,
Judge Samvel Mnatsakanyan of the Court of First Instance of General
Jurisdiction of Avan and Nor-Nork Administrative Districts of Yerevan
sustained a motion by Albert Khachatryan’s attorney and allowed
the use of bail as an alternative precautionary measure. Two days
later, RA Court of Cassation Chair Arman Mkrtumyan appealed to the
Council of Justice to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Judge
Mnatsakanyan, while the Council of Justice, in turn, appealed to RA
President Serzh Sargsyan.

Attorney Lusine Sahakyan informed journalists that, in the protestors’
opinion, the judge is being reprimanded because he did not receive
permission from the cassation court to recognize bail as permissible.

“Otherwise it’s not logical for us why two days later Arman Mkrtumyan
is appealing to the disciplinary committee of the Council of Justice
and the Council of Justice makes such a decision, so that he is
stripped of his power. This system of approval has to stop finally,”
she said.

According to Sahakyan, the Council of Justice decision states that
the judge didn’t give reasons for his judicial act.

“But justifying judicial acts is not widespread in the Republic of
Armenia; this question has been repeatedly raised and people are
imprisoned without a justified act and no one is held accountable
for this,” she said, adding that such a way of working has to come
to an end.

During the protest, attorneys showed reporters the contents of a
letter that RA Chamber of Advocates Chair Ruben Sahakyan is preparing
to send to Arma Mkrtumyan. In the letter, Ruben Sahakyan depicts the
decision to strip the judge of his power as creating an atmosphere
of intolerance.

Sahakyan also proposed that Arman Mkrtumyan issue disciplinary
proceedings against also a number of other judges who also haven’t
given reasons for their judicial acts.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress