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Judge Davit Grigoryan is being punished for making a decision ‘unacceptable’ by the authorities, advocate Yervand Varosyan said on Facebook.

Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has allowed the criminal prosecution of Davit Grigoryan, who suspended the trial of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan and released him on bail in May.

The judge’s powers have been suspended by law. Law-enforcement agencies raided his office earlier in July and confiscated some materials as part of a criminal probe into, what they say, an ‘official forgery’ involving the judge.

“I believe under such circumstances lawyers have no right to silently follow the ultimate destruction of the already sick judicial system of Armenia,” he stressed.

Varosyan said around 50 lawyers have expressed readiness to assume the defense of the judge in the ongoing criminal proceedings.

“I am confident the number will grow strongly soon. We didn’t keep silent before and won’t keep silent now,” he stressed.