During a speech at the National Assembly, Artak Zeynalyan, nominee for the Constitutional Court, emphasized that his biography reflects the work of a human rights defender more than that of a politician.

In response to a question by MP Gegham Manukyan from the “Hayastan” faction, referencing a report by the Corruption Prevention Commission and inquiring whether Zeynalyan’s past involvement with the “Republic” party could impact his independence, Zeynalyan stated that his party affiliation had ended before his nomination.

“I believe my biography is more that of a human rights defender than a political figure. If you’ve read it, you’ve probably concluded that I am the lawyer who has most frequently appealed to the Constitutional Court in Armenia’s history. In nearly all these cases, I exhausted domestic remedies and applied to the European Court of Human Rights. This means that regardless of who holds power, I can and do voice disagreement, which I take to the Constitutional Court,” he said.

When asked by Manukyan whether it is permissible to amend Armenia’s Constitution to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, Zeynalyan responded that such a precedent exists.

“There has been a case in Armenia when the Constitution was amended to ratify an international treaty,” he noted, as reported by Panorama.am .

He explained that the 2015 constitutional amendments were made to enable Armenia to ratify the Rome Statute.

Addressing a question about removing the Declaration of Independence from the Constitution, Zeynalyan stated that the declaration is not part of the substantive section of the Constitution and has lost legal force. He added that this position is included in a special opinion of the Constitutional Court.

Zeynalyan declined to comment on the case in which the Constitutional Court building was surrounded following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s call, noting that the case is currently under review by the European Court of Human Rights.

Previously, Constitutional Court judge Vahe Grigoryan’s term ended as he will continue his work at the European Court of Human Rights. On May 27, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan nominated former Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan for the post. On June 19, it was announced that Zeynalyan had resigned from Yerevan City Council, where he was a member of the “Republic” faction.