Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan’s trial: reprimand for judge Gevorg Manukyan, who had recused himself
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan and Armavir, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council on 3 November formally reprimanded Gevorg Manukyan, a district court judge in the Armavir province. He was faulted for stepping down in March, at the very first hearing, from the trial of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, head of the chancellery of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin. The archbishop’s lawyers had questioned his impartiality because he used to work for the Armavir division of the Investigative Committee, which handles the case. The Justice Ministry had demanded disciplinary action. The decision cannot be appealed. The archbishop is accused of having an aide plant a cannabis joint in the backpack of a protester who in 2018 demanded the resignation of Catholicos Garegin II. He denies the charge as politically motivated. The case of another Armavir judge, Hakob Manukyan, no relation, who stepped down from the catholicos’s trial, will be heard on 16 November.
Analysis
This is the first sanction against a judge who refused to sit in one of the trials targeting the leadership of the Apostolic Church. Critics say the ministry is trying to pressure judges seen as an obstacle to Nikol Pashinyan’s campaign against the catholicos. The message to the judiciary is plain: stepping aside from a sensitive case can carry a cost. Hakob Manukyan’s case on 16 November will show whether this line holds.
Possible consequences
The reprimand is final; on 16 November the Supreme Judicial Council will consider the request to sanction judge Hakob Manukyan.
