Artur Atabekyan Elected Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia

YEREVAN — Artur Atabekyan has been elected Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia (SJC), the media and public relations service of the Judiciary reports.

Atabekyan was elected by 7 votes in an election scheduled in accordance with the procedure established by law.

Atabekyan, replaced Karen Andreasyan, who resigned on November 18 at the behest of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The latter said on November 22 that he “asked” Andreasyan to step down because he is unhappy with some of the decisions made by courts.

The SJC failed to elect a new chairman in two rounds of voting last Thursday. Five of its seven members vied for the vacant post. Only Atabekyan ran in a repeat vote organized on Monday. He was unanimously backed by the six other SJC members.

Atabekyan, 42, took the bench in 2012 six years before Pashinyan came to power. He became the chairman of Armenia’s Bankruptcy Court in 2022 before being appointed to the SJC and promoted to the Court of Cassation, the country’s highest body of criminal and civil justice.

The SJC is tasked with protecting the courts against outside influence. It has wide-ranging powers, including the right to nominate, sanction and even dismiss judges.