Proposal to Send Judges into Early Retirement is Bribery to Leave Their Posts, Says Zohrapyan

In my opinion, the proposal to send judges into early retirement is absolutely unacceptable. This was stated by NA Prosperous Armenia faction MP Naira Zohrapyan during a conversation with reporters.

“This means that, in effect, bribery is being offered to people at the expense of taxpayers to leave their positions. Judges who agree to this proposal and leave their positions should think very carefully, as any subsequent government will require them to return not only the amounts they were paid without working, but also, most likely, face criminal liability,” she announced.

In response to a comment that the government and ruling party lawmakers assert this is a norm accepted in international practice and contains no problematic points, especially concerning state-level bribery, Zohrapyan said: “I am not familiar with such international practice; I see a problem here, as they are unable to solve the issue legally and are trying to resolve it this way. I know one thing and it is an axiom: a person should be compensated for their work.”

Regarding the statements made by former NSS Director Arthur Vanetsyan about dangers threatening the country and that the Soros office poses a threat along with parties financed from abroad, Zohrapyan remarked that when statements are made, they should be opened up and presented with concrete facts. “Without having specific facts at hand, I cannot say whether I am worried or not. When Mr. Vanetsyan presents concrete substantive facts, then I will say yes or no,” she stated.

Speaking about the action titled “The Culprit is the Perpetrator,” which the municipality attempted to obstruct because it included the word 'rape' and displayed imagery that could displease some segments of society, Zohrapyan stated: “I think it is an important campaign in the prevention of violence against women. I do not know what banners were present, but I can assure you they were not more vulgar than that unhygienic performance that took place in the metro area. If the municipality had granted permission for that, then the goal of the other action was clear: to prevent violence against women; I believe the municipality should not have overly sensitive nerves in this case,” she said.

Addressing the statement by NA My Step faction MP Taguhi Ghazaryan that the Istanbul Convention may never make it to the parliament agenda, Zohrapyan said: “I do not know where she got such information; let us not base ourselves on her statements. If this convention comes, it will undergo clear procedures. It must go to the government, and if approved by the government, then it goes to the Constitutional Court, which must decide whether it complies with the RA Constitution or not. Let us base ourselves on facts, rather than on the statements of individual MPs.”