'Convince my mother peace has come': Armenian opposition MP challenges ruling party

Opposition Hayastan faction MP Gegham Manukyan has criticized the government’s silence over the sham trials of Armenian prisoners in Baku, stressing that they target not just individuals but Armenia as a state.

Speaking in parliament on Friday, Manukyan said reports from the Baku hearings referenced alleged attacks from Yeraskh and Shamshadin in 1990 and were framed against key Armenian figures, including former presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, as well as late commander Vazgen Sargsyan.

The MP stressed that even though Armenia and Azerbaijan have withdrawn their lawsuits from international courts, verdicts in Baku will still be rendered “against Armenia”.

Manukyan also dismissed the Armenian leadership's claims of peace with Azerbaijan. Displaying a photo of his mother taken just before the December 2022 blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), he said her “longing gaze has continued ever since”.

“I invite any of you to my home to convince my mother that peace has come,” Manukyan told pro-government MPs. “Go to Nerkin Hand and persuade the villagers who could not bury their relatives. Go to Gegharkunik and tell the farmers who lost their pastures that peace has come.”