There is unprecedented pressure on advocates in Armenia, and evidence of this are the recent searches of the National Security Service. This is what advocate Alexander Kochubayev told journalists today.

According to him, the Armenian government’s policy clearly shows how state governance shouldn’t be. He stated that in spite of the revolutionary slogans about judicial and legal reforms, the public is still shocked by the pressure on the law-enforcement system. “The first shock was in May when the entrances to and exits from courts were closed, as a result of which citizens of Armenia weren’t able to protect their rights in court for a day. This was followed by political persecutions,” he said.

The advocate stated that the Special Investigation Service of Armenia “has never been in such a wretched situation in the past” since it is now compelled to deal with politics, not law-enforcement.