ArmInfo. Members of the "Hello, Rob" civil initiative protesting against the decision of the Court of Appeals on the release of the second President Robert Kocharyan, are currently collecting signatures near the building of the Supreme Judicial Council for recusal of the judge who released the former president.
According to a member of the initiative, lawyer Vahe Grigoryan, they suspect the judge of the Court of Appeal Alexander Azaryan of bias. In the years of Kocharyan's presidency, Azaryan worked in his office, thus, according to activists, he could not be impartial and had to announce his recusal. "The collection of signatures is organized with the purpose of applying to the Prosecutor General's Office to initiate an investigation against Alexander Azaryan and to terminate his powers," Grigoryan said. ’Ґ¬ ўаҐ¬ҐҐ¬, Ґ¬®ЈЁ¬ а ҐҐ з «мЁЄ гЇа ў«ҐЁп Ї® а бб«Ґ¤®ў Ёо ®б®Ў® ў ¦ле ¤Ґ« ѓҐҐа «м®© Їа®Єга вгал Ђа¬ҐЁЁ ‚ Ј Њга ¤п § пўЁ« ¦га «Ёбв ¬, зв® в®в д Єв, зв® бг¤мп, а бб¬ ваЁў ойЁ© ЇҐ««пжЁ®го ¦ «®Ўг нЄб-ЇаҐ§Ё¤Ґв - Ђ«ҐЄб ¤а Ђ§ ап, ў бў®Ґ ўаҐ¬п а Ў®в « ў ЇЇ а ⥠ўв®а®Ј® ЇаҐ§Ё¤Ґв , Ґ пў«пҐвбп ®б®ў ЁҐ¬ ¤«п § пў«ҐЁп ®Ў ®вў®¤Ґ бг¤мЁ. In the meantime, earlier the head of the department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia Vahagn Muradyan told journalists that the fact that the judge who was considering the appeal of the former president - Alexander Azaryan, once worked in the office of the second president, is not a ground for his recusal.
To recall, yesterday after the Armenian Appeals Court granted the petition of the lawyers of former President Robert Kocharyan and canceled the decision of the court of first instance, taking into account the inviolability of the former heads of state, the Special Investigative Service of Armenia stated that the decision was illegal, and the Criminal Court of Appeal exceeded its jurisdiction. "We hope that the prosecutor's office will file a cassation appeal," the SIS said.
Judge Alexander Azaryan gave quite negative assessment to the statement of the investigative body. According to him, it is not permissible to make such statements unless the text of the court decision is studied. "I think that by making such statements, some officials have started a policy of flattering, and the matter concerns not SIS alone," he said, adding that he sees an attempt to exert pressure in such actions, and "a professional lawyer does not have the right to make such statements" . As for his possible bias, according to the judge, he is not constrained by any obligations and has never even communicated with Kocharyan. In this context, it seems suspicious to him that the prosecution announces the need for his recusal only today - after the decision on the case has already been taken.