Armenian Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan Resigns Due to Pressure from Pashinyan’s Ruling Party

Armenian Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan resigned today after facing a lot of pressure from lawmakers within Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party. The resignation followed a petition signed by over two dozen members of the ruling party, calling for Minasyan’s dismissal. The lawmakers did not provide specific reasons for their dissatisfaction but expressed concerns about his "staffing policy."

A key issue that fueled the discontent was Minasyan’s decision to appoint Sirvard Gevorgyan as deputy justice minister. The appointment, approved by Prime Minister Pashinyan on September 6, sparked outrage among some party loyalists, who believed Gevorgyan had ties to former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan. Kocharyan currently leads the opposition Hayastan alliance and has a contentious relationship with the current government.

Although Gevorgyan denied any connections to Kocharyan, the pressure mounted, and she resigned from her position last week. Minasyan defended her in the wake of her resignation, describing the criticism against her as "unfair and petty." His defense of Gevorgyan only deepened the divide within the ruling party, leading Andranik Kocharyan, head of the parliamentary committee on defense and security, to join the call for Minasyan's ouster.

In a Facebook post announcing his resignation, Minasyan acknowledged the difficulty of continuing in his role without the support of key lawmakers. He stated, “Today I decided to join the signature collection against my tenure and submitted my resignation to the prime minister. In a parliamentary system of government, it will be difficult to hold the position of a minister if you do not have positive cooperation with even one deputy.”

He admitted that around two dozen deputies from the Civil Contract faction had issues with his leadership. Despite the internal challenges, Minasyan defended his record, emphasizing the progress made during his two-year tenure in reforming Armenia’s justice system.

Prime Minister Pashinyan has remained silent on the resignation, not commenting on either the demands from the party members or Minasyan’s decision to leave office. The prime minister had appointed the 40-year-old lawyer as justice minister in 2022, despite Minasyan’s family history, which raised concerns among some within the party.

Minasyan’s father, Ara, and brother, Mikael, fled Armenia in 2018 to avoid prosecution on corruption charges. Mikael Minasyan, the son-in-law of former President Serzh Sargsyan, wielded significant political and economic influence during Sargsyan’s presidency. Grigor Minasyan, however, distanced himself from his relatives and pledged loyalty to the current government. Despite these assurances, many supporters of Pashinyan remained skeptical.

The petition that led to Minasyan’s resignation was reportedly initiated by Civil Contract lawmaker Arpi Davoyan. When asked by journalists about Minasyan’s resignation, Davoyan declined to elaborate but emphasized that the next justice minister should be a member of the party’s core political team.

Minasyan’s close friendship with Karen Andreasian, head of Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council, also attracted criticism. Over the past two years, the two men worked together to dismiss judges who were seen as opposing the government. While Minasyan and Andreasian framed these dismissals as necessary reforms, opposition leaders and legal experts criticized them as undermining judicial independence in Armenia.

Despite the pressure on Minasyan to resign, a spokesperson for Andreasian confirmed that he has no plans to follow suit.