Two painful clicks on Pashinyan’s nose
The new day of May 21 brought another round of disappointments for the unfortunate Maidan dictator Nikol Pashinyan, who, in addition to the foiled putsch against the judicial system of Armenia, received two more painful clicks on the nose.
Firstly, the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction, which recently released ex-President Robert Kocharyan from arrest, suspended the proceedings in the “March 1” case, transferring it for consideration to the Constitutional Court of the republic.
Secondly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe responded with massive criticism to the blocking of courts by Pashinyan’s supporters and the loud statements of the prime minister, who called for “reforming the judicial system of the republic” while simultaneously introducing an unclear “transition period.”
But first things first.
On May 20, it became known that the Yerevan court of first instance suspended the proceedings in the “March 1” case, in which Kocharyan, ex-Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, former Chief of the General Staff Yuri Khachaturov and former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorkyan are involved, sending it to the Constitutional Court. The consideration of the case in the Constitutional Court may take about two months.
Persons involved in the “March 1” case
Experts are not inclined to consider the decision of the court of general jurisdiction to be some kind of “cunning plan.” In their opinion, Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic (overthrow of the constitutional order), under which Kocharyan and the others (except Gevorkyan) are accused, is too vague. And the court in this case, with the help of the Constitutional Court, wants to sort out the unclear formulations.
If the Constitutional Court recognizes Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code as not complying with the norms of the Basic Law - and such a possibility exists - then the criminal case against the ex-president on charges of overthrowing the constitutional order will be dropped. If the Constitutional Court considers this article to be in compliance with the Basic Law, then for the court of first instance this will become a guide to action to the delight of Pashinyan.
Building of the Constitutional Court of Armenia
Kocharyan’s lawyers, in turn, are determined to win and say that their goal is the complete acquittal of their client.
Now about PACE’s reaction to Pashinyan’s act of street blocking the work of courts.
“Political interested parties should refrain from actions and statements that could be perceived as putting pressure on the judicial system,” says a statement by PACE co-rapporteurs for monitoring Armenia Yulia Levochkina (Ukraine) and Andrei Shircel (Slovenia), published on the organization’s website, after after Prime Minister Pashinyan called on citizens to block the entrances and exits of court buildings on May 19.
The statement emphasizes that the call for illegal actions came after the judge decided to change the preventive measure against the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.
Of course, the situation is of an anecdotal nature, since PACE has long and deservedly had a reputation as a worthless and quarrelsome circle of empty-headed women, and to the criticism of Pashinyan by a Ukrainian observer, in whose own house crowds of Nazis are pressing judges, one just wants to answer: “doctor, heal yourself.”
Yulia Levochkina is the sister of the same Sergei Levochkin, who was credited with organizing the first stage of Euromaidan
However, the cry from PACE, despite its declarative nature, should come as an unpleasant surprise for Pashinyan and his team, who have put the “European vector of Armenia’s development” at the forefront of their policy.
It should be noted that the standard notations read by PACE to Pashinyan, which talk about the “rule of law and independence of the courts,” contain phrases endorsing “deep judicial reforms,” the “fight against corruption” in Armenia and the use of “surgical methods,” unless these measures will be carried out in close cooperation with the Council of Europe.
In general, it seems that Pashinyan was punched on the nose only so that he would not act so rudely, giving grounds to accuse him of Bonapartism and dictatorial habits.
“We need to work more gently, more carefully, with approaches,” European “well-wishers” seem to be hinting to the head of the Maidan regime of Armenia, inexperienced in behind-the-scenes intrigues and stubbornly acting impudently.
As if to confirm these words, late in the evening, a statement by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn appeared with a readiness to “continue cooperation with Armenia and provide support to it through political dialogue, financial and technical assistance in order to support the ambitious reforms of the Armenian government.”
Police monitor court blockade in Armenia
You can also clearly hear the muttering of “human rights activists”, dissatisfied that the “reform” of the judicial system of Armenia with a one-time Maidan raid did not bring results. “Human rights activists” are upset that judges cannot be dismissed from their jobs either by legal or other means. “Human rights activists” are convinced that the National Security Service should have quietly dealt with the judges, “and this could have been done earlier, without leading to a scandal.” And in general, “they cut down the forest and the chips fly.”
European Commissioner Johannes Hahn
It must be understood that Pashinyan, calling on his supporters to block the courts on Monday, acted without consulting with his more cautious comrades, and now the Maidan regime will have to rebuild, spend many months developing laws and get “vetting” specialists from somewhere ( check by judges). And even - oh horror! – refuse to involve the street in political squabbles. In any case, don’t fall into the temptation of using this plug so often.
In the meantime, the Constitutional Court may declare Article 300.1 unconstitutional - and then Pashinyan’s vendetta against the defendants in the “March 1” case cried.
Considering Vovaevich’s vindictive and restless character, over the next two months the Maidan Prime Minister will come up with some more dirty tricks. And it is possible that more sophisticated...
English version :: Read in English Two painful flicks to Pashinyan's nose