Why is Armen Ashotyan a political prisoner? Lawyer responds to Alen Simonyan

Lawyer Ruben Melikyan has responded to the recent false claims made by Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan regarding opposition politician Armen Ashotyan.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Simonyan stated that Ashotyan is not a political prisoner, arguing that there are no international reports supporting such allegations.

In response, Melikyan shared two resolutions from major European and global political groups explicitly recognizing Ashotyan as a political prisoner.

In its emergency resolution "Supporting Political Prisoners in Europe in Times of Increasing Autocracy," adopted on 14 November 2023, the European People’s Party (EPP) highlighted Ashotyan's case as an example of political persecution in Armenia. Additionally, on April 9, 2024, the Centrist Democrat International (IDC-CDI) adopted a separate resolution addressing political persecution in Armenia, with a focus on Ashotyan's case.

“It's no longer possible to conceal Armenia’s growing issues, including blatant cases of political persecution, through deception and empty rhetoric," Melikyan wrote.