PM says judicial system in Armenia not legitimate (video)

 May 20, 2019 - 13:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday, May 20 that judicial system in Armenia is still not legitimate.

In a live address on Monday, the PM addressed demonstrators blocking access to courts across the country.

The residents of Armenia earlier heeded his call to block the entrance to the country’s courts to protest what he called "illegitimate" judiciary in the country.

Pashinian, who took power after a wave of nationwide protests in spring 2018 against the country’s former authorities, said in a Facebook post that he would deliver a speech on May 20 for “the start of the second and most important phase of the Armenian revolution.”

During the past year, he said in his speech, political changes have taken place in Armenia that have helped create legitimate legislative and executive powers, “but the judicial system continues to be non-legitimate.”

Pashinyan said that it (the judicial system - Ed.) is a threat to the Armenian people.

According to the head of the government, all the judges from now on must be subjected to vetting, which means that people must have access to information about the political ties they have, their property, former activity, individual and professional characteristics

He said all the judges who handed out verdicts disputed in the European Court of Human Rights, must resign or be fired.

Judges “who know that they cannot work unbiased and objective” must resign too, he said.