Opposition MP says Pashinyan soft on Azerbaijan, tough on domestic critics

Armenian opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of showing leniency toward “the crimes of Turks and Azerbaijanis” while treating his own critics as personal enemies.

“Pashinyan long ago forgave the crimes committed by Turks and Azerbaijanis, but he has declared as personal enemies those who don’t share his views,” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook on Friday.

He cited the case of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who has refused legal counsel during the sham trial in Azerbaijan, saying Armenians “are suffering in Azerbaijani prisons while Pashinyan’s government fills Armenian jails with its political opponents”.

Abrahamyan also pointed to the conviction of Masis community head David Hambardzumyan as proof of the ruling regime’s determination to “retain power at any cost and fill the system with loyalists”, adding that political persecution continues against activists and opposition figures.