«If any official is accused of corruption, they say it’s persecution, and the judge says it’s pressure»: Minasian

The Armenian government is set to present the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification in the near future. This was stated by Justice Minister Grigor Minasian during a press briefing after today’s government meeting.

“Last week, in response to media inquiries regarding the Rome Statute, the administration indicated that it would be sending it soon; it seems to be just a matter of weeks,” he noted.

Speaking about media statements regarding pressures on judges by the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Karen Andreasyan, the minister commented, “In my opinion, the media statements concerning Karen Andreasyan are gossip. They do not even have a good understanding of the procedural regulations related to the member of the Supreme Judicial Council. It is simply my firm belief that the defending party is trying in every possible way to make some clarifications regarding the obvious disciplinary case, but that is their defense strategy.”

“Naturally, those who have violated the law and have faced accountability must defend themselves somehow. For example, if someone is accused of corruption, any official—former or current—says that this is political persecution; if a judge is caught engaging in unlawful activities, they must say they are being pressured. Everyone defends themselves in their own way. It’s normal; we live in a democratic country, and we hear everyone’s opinions, but we do not deviate from our agenda.”