Legal expert accuses Armenian authorities of 'selective justice'

Constitutional law expert Gohar Meloyan has accused Armenian law-enforcement authorities of applying “biased and selective justice” following the launch of a criminal case against Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan for advocating the creation of a union state with Russia.

Meloyan, who heads the International Center on Development of Parliamentarism NGO, argued that calls to form a union with another country “cannot be considered a crime”.

“If an appeal to establish a union with Russia is interpreted as a public call to renounce sovereignty, by the same logic, calls to join the European Union should carry the same legal implications,” she said in a social media post on Tuesday.

The legal expert argued that joining international organizations such as the Council of Europe or the International Criminal Court already entails partial transfers of sovereignty. “Therefore, invoking such cooperation cannot be considered a crime,” Meloyan added.

Meloyan stated the application of Armenia’s Criminal Code against opposition members confirms that “these actions are driven not by the rule of law, but by political retribution".