Analyst: Arrests can't stop 'purely political process' in Armenia

Political analyst Beniamin Matevosyan believes that recent detentions of opposition activists, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, will not succeed in halting a "purely political process" in the country.

“In the current situation, almost any next step is likely to worsen Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s position,” Matevosyan wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

He argues that by detaining Galstanyan and his supporters, who are accused of plotting a coup, the authorities intended to send a message to other political forces and stop a completely different political movement.

“But they will not achieve their desired outcome,” the analyst added.