Ruling party MP suggests banning ARF again

Hasmik Hakobyan, an MP from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, has openly expressed the government's intention to reconsider the status of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF).

“It’s time to consider banning the ARF once again and classifying it as a terrorist organization,” she wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

The MP claimed that law enforcement had discovered an arsenal of weapons in the homes of ARF members during the morning searches.

However, the Public Relations Office of the ARF Armenia Supreme Body has strongly denied the allegations. In a statement, the office asserted that no illegal items were found during the raids.

“All confiscated weapons are legal. Most of the items featured in the circulating photos, including the grenade-like object, are intended for Strikeball [a tactical game similar to airsoft]. The grenade-like device contained dried peas used as projectiles in Strikeball,” reads the statement.