Lawyer: Prosecutors in Armenia act without restraint to please authorities

Lawyer Sos Hakobyan has raised concerns over reports that a criminal case has been launched against journalist Anush Mirzoyan for her coverage of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Syunik Province a few years ago.

“If true, this would be even more absurd than imprisoning someone for expressing an opinion. Journalism is a professional activity that is explicitly protected by criminal law,” Hakobyan wrote on Facebook on Friday.

“This is akin to accusing defense lawyers of being accomplices to their clients' crimes in high-profile cases," he stressed.

The lawyer strongly criticized what he described as a lack of institutional restraint.

“In Armenia, investigators and prosecutors show no restraint when it comes to persecuting people to please those in power. None whatsoever” he stated.