Aravot asked Head of the Court of Cassation Yervand Khundkaryan about how a member of the Constitutional Court claimed that they were pressured. After the revolution, it has been frequently mentioned that judges make decisions based on phone calls. He was asked whether he was pressured in the past and if he made decisions based on phone calls. Khundkaryan said, “Every judge is as free as they feel they are. I have never been in such a situation and I have not had such a situation where I would need to carry out justice based on a phone call. The judge is responsible for their court decisions, therefore, the judge’s protection is through making use of the law and the constitution. And that is exactly how the judge works.”
When asked if he accepts that making decisions based on phone calls was a problem in the past in the court system, Khundkaryan said, “I have not dealt with such a situation.”
Judge Azaryan announced that there was pressure on the court. In response to this, Yervand Khundkaryan said, “I have not faced pressure in the past or in the present.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
