Analyst: Pashinyan's posts have turned into brazen orders to law enforcement

Political analyst Suren Surenyants has lambasted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent public statements, arguing that they have turned into direct commands to law enforcement agencies and state institutions.

“In the early days of his rule, Pashinyan never adhered to constitutional principles or the rule of law,” Surenyants wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. “With the unruly conduct of a mob leader, he mocked democracy. As his popularity waned, he shifted to ruling by SMS, astonishing even his closest allies, one of whom, Hovik Aghazaryan, broke ranks after comparing Pashinyan to Jesus Christ.”

Surenyants claims that Armenia is now entering a phase of overt authoritarianism, marked by what he describes as cynical commands embedded in Pashinyan's social media posts.

“Yesterday, he again defamed the church, Catholicos Karekin II and senior clergy while announcing a state-sanctioned intrusion into the Mother See. He declared: "Especially in this case, no part of the enlarged Vagharshapat community can be closed off to law enforcement activities, especially when, thanks to Ktrich [referring to Karekin II] and several others, these areas are not off-limits for adultery.'"

Surenyants argues that such rhetoric constitutes a serious breach of legal, ethical and political norms.

“His statement disregards the presumption of innocence (Article 66 of the Constitution), includes slander and insult (Articles 410 and 411 of the Criminal Code), and undermines the credibility of official state communication. It also contribute to the deepening of social divisions,” he said.

The analyst contends that Pashinyan’s language increasingly mirrors the tone of vulgar online propaganda, degrading the standards of public discourse.

In a postscript, Surenyants added that just as he was drafting his critique, Pashinyan made yet another controversial social media post.

“The house of Jesus Christ, the site of the Only Begotten's descent, has been seized by an anti-Christian, immoral, anti-national and anti-state group and must be liberated. I will lead that liberation,” the prime minister wrote.

"Pashinyan is openly veering toward constitutional violations, including breaches of Articles 17 and 18 of the constitution," Surenyants warned.