Pashinian said relevant reforms announced by him years ago have produced few tangible results. He spoke of unnamed individuals who he said had acted unlawfully and “looked down on others” in the past and “keep doing the same thing.”
“Dear representatives of the judicial and security system, my patience has run out,” Pashinian told a weekly session of his cabinet that discussed and approved a fresh “strategy” of police reforms presented by Interior Minister Vahe Ghazarian.
He threatened to “make decisions” if they do not live up to his expectations. He did not say how he would punish judges whose independence is guaranteed by Armenian law.
Armenia’s judicial oversight body is headed by a political ally of Pashinian. Over the last two years it has fired over a dozen judges who fell foul of it. They include the judges who acquitted former Presidents Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian of separate criminal charges.
The Supreme Judicial Council accused them of artificially dragging out high-profile trials. The sackings stoked claims by Armenian opposition leaders and legal experts that Pashinian’s government is seeking to further curb judicial independence under the guise of Western-backed “judicial reforms.”
Pashinian complained on Friday about unspecified protracted trials, saying many Armenians believe that they are mere publicity stunts orchestrated by him. “This is a very serious political problem and it must be solved,” he said.
Pashinian also seemed unhappy with slow progress of asset seizure proceedings launched against dozens of former Armenian officials, including Kocharian and Sarkisian, as well as individuals linked with them in accordance with a controversial law enacted in 2021.
The law allows the authorities to confiscate properties and other assets deemed to have been acquired illegally. Pashinian has repeatedly portrayed it as a major anti-corruption measure that will help his administration recover “wealth stolen from the people.”
Opposition figures say, however, that Pashinian is simply using it to cement his hold on power. They argue that the law has not been used against any current officials or members of the prime minister’s political team accused by media of illicit enrichment.
Pashinian on Friday did not explicitly comment on Armenia's increased crime rate. The rise in drug trafficking and abuse cases has been particularly drastic during his rule.
Ghazarian again defended the police record on combatting these and other crimes. Citing recent opinion polls, the interior minister said 60 percent of Armenians are satisfied with the work of the national police.