Where Have You Seen a Court Refuse to Grant Bail to a Victim of Political Persecution? Prime Minister on Criminal Case Involving Tsarukyan

“You say you are carrying out political persecution. We have seen political persecution for 30 years, where have you seen a court refuse to grant bail to a victim of political persecution?” said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his speech in the National Assembly today, June 25, referring to the criminal case involving Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party.

“Why didn’t they refuse to detain us? Why didn’t they say, ‘No, we won’t arrest’? They would color our necks in 5 minutes; they wouldn’t come out from under the table. You talk from morning till night about checks and balances. Are checks and balances a 4-wheeled tractor, or is it a bicycle? But here there is another problem. We need to understand who those judges are. I say again, we are rejecting illegal influences on the judicial system, but does that mean that those old systems of influence should continue to operate? Let them manifest, and we will show who is who.

People also ask why the issue of the courts has not been resolved yet; it has not been resolved because we have not wanted and do not want to replace a puppet old system with a new puppet system. We want there to be a truly independent court in the country. The judge who makes decisions based on his beliefs and conscience and without external influences, without old corrupt connections, without old nostalgia, has his place on our head. That judge is the pillar of this country and state. We will do everything to protect him and to throw the others out of the judicial system. Nothing will stop us,” Pashinyan declared.