Armenian parliament speaker asks court to freeze reporter's assets

MediaHub journalist Vahe Makaryan reports that National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has filed three lawsuits against him, demanding a retraction and 1 million drams in damages. Simonyan has also requested the court to freeze Makaryan’s assets for the same amount.

In a social media post on Friday, Makaryan stated that two of the lawsuits, previously returned by the court for corrections, have been resubmitted. The third case remains pending. He expressed hope that the court would reject Simonyan’s request for asset seizure.

The journalist criticized Simonyan for repeatedly suing media workers, noting that while the speaker has won some cases, he has also lost others, including a recent case against MediaHub. Makaryan described the legal action as part of a pressure campaign against the media, questioning the ruling party’s claims of upholding democracy.

“So, the ruling party’s so-called 'bastion of democracy' is also marked by pressure on the media,” Makaryan said.