The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a state body overseeing Armenia’s courts, has been effectively paralyzed by the resignations of five of its nine members.
The resignations began after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian appealed to supporters on May 19 to block the entrances to all court buildings in the country. The appeal came the day after a Yerevan court ordered former President Robert Kocharian released from jail pending the outcome of his trial on coup and corruption charges. The court’s decision angered many allies and supporters of Pashinian.
The SJC chairman, Gagik Harutiunian, was the first to step down on May 24. He cited “ongoing developments relating to the judicial authority” and his “concerns expressed in that regard.” Harutiunian’s temporary replacement, Gevorg Danielian, quit on June 7.
Three other members of the SJC followed suit last week. Two of those resignations were formally accepted on Monday.
“Starting from today, the Supreme Judicial Council cannot make decisions because of the lack of a quorum,” Hayk Hovannisian, one of the body’s four remaining members told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
“In order to make decisions, we need the presence of either a simple majority [of SJC members] or a two-thirds majority for cases such as taking disciplinary action [against judges,]” explained Hovannisian. “We can’t make a quorum in both cases.”
“But there are still four of us and we must report for work and coordinate sectoral activities of the judicial department,” he said, adding that he has no plans yet to step down.
Under Armenian law, the SJC has wide-ranging powers, including the right to nominate judges appointed by the president of the republic. It can also sanction and even terminate judges.
The SJC is supposed to have 10 members. Half of them are appointed by the Armenian parliament while the other half are chosen by the country’s judges.
The parliament’s pro-government majority has nominated only one member of the council so far. The National Assembly is expected to appoint him later this week.
Speaking at a May 20 meeting with senior state officials, Pashinian said that Armenian courts remain linked to “the former corrupt system” and distrusted by the population. He announced plans for a mandatory “vetting” of all judges.
Hovannisian disputed claims that the SJC, which was formed shortly before last year’s “velvet revolution,” also lacks popular trust. “The public is much broader than speeches delivered by a few parliament deputies,” he said.
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