Arman Tatoyan: Armenia has become one-party autocracy

Former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan claims that the Armenian government is effectively operating under a one-party rule and personalist authoritarianism.

In a social media post on Monday, Tatoyan accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of unlawfully interfering in the work of law enforcement agencies and treating their authority as his personal tool. He warned that sensitive data, meant to be protected by law, is accessed and used for political purposes often without oversight or legal justification.

Citing examples like MP Hovik Aghazaryan’s phone data being funneled to the ruling Civil Contract party and unlawful surveillance of clergy, Tatoyan argued that institutions meant to be independent serve Pashinyan's interests.

“All this leads me to conclude that the state is being dismantled as the foundations of a legal state are being destroyed and checks and balances no longer function,” he stressed.

“In other words, a one-party regime and personal rule have been established in the country,” the ex-ombudsman added.