Advocate Arsen Sardaryan wrote on his Facebook page.

“Dear lawyers, journalists and other partners,

I warn you about the apparent encroachment on the independence of the judiciary.

Thus, the Supreme Judicial Council granted the motion of the Prosecutor General, agreed to initiate criminal proceedings against Judge Boris Bakhshiyan, and to detain him for allegedly making a decision on apparently illegal detention. In a situation where the judge’s decision was not even appealed by the Prosecutor’s Office to the Court of Appeals, based on purely abstract judgments, without any factual information, about two months later, the Prosecutor’s Office suddenly decided to assess it as obviously illegal detention, and the fact that the person was 14 days is in custody as a serious consequence.

With this step, the Supreme Judicial Council devalued its Constitutional Mission, showed that it was unable to ensure the independence of the judge, and formed a vicious practice of interfering in the legal activities of a judge. This phenomenon is fraught with the danger of creating an atmosphere of fear and obedience in the judiciary.

Judge Bakhshiyan is a literate, decent, and conscientious judge,” he wrote.

It should be reminded that on 31 January, the RA Prosecutor General submitted two motions to the Supreme Judicial Council: to give consent to initiate criminal prosecution against Boris Bakhshiyan, Judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Syunik Region, and to deprive the judge of liberty.

The Council unanimously decided to grant the two motions.