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Chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan most recently charged with abuse of power described his indictment as part of a strong government pressure exerted on him and other members of the top court as he talked to reporters after his interrogation on Friday.

“The interrogator and I parted from each other as professionals. I told him that I value him as a professional, but regret that he is engaged in political rather than legal processes,” he said, adding that he had refused to give a testimony.

Tovmasyan stressed “it’s no secret to anyone” that the Constitutional Court worked under strong pressure in the past six months.

“Those pressures have involved not only insults, threats and warnings about today, but also concrete calls for violence,” he stated.

He says despite all those pressures Armenia’s highest court has worked without any obstacles and has adopted decisions ‘crucial’ for the future of the legal system.

Tovmasyan expressed confidence that the six other judges of the court will reject the early retirement offered to them by the authorities, slamming the new measure as an attempt to “bribe” the judges.

He stated those Constitutional Court members are “heroes” fighting for the judicial independence in Armenia.

“Today’s struggle is not about their posts. Quite the opposite, this struggle is about what kind of a judicial authority and a state we will have tomorrow,” Tovmasyan stressed.