Armenian opposition MPs condemn fabricated charges against government critics

Lawmakers from the opposition Hayastan faction in the Armenian National Assembly on Friday accused the ruling Civil Contract party of using criminal charges to silence critics as a parliament committee debated a draft statement on the status of political prisoners.

During a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, opposition MP Artsvik Minasyan said former MP Artur Sargsyan, detained three times during his term, was a “rare case in parliamentary history”, blaming committee chairman Vladimir Vardanyan for providing “legal packaging” that enabled the rulings.

Minasyan urged the majority not to frame political disagreements as legal issues and proposed delaying a vote on the opposition-drafted statement until public hearings scheduled for November 26.

Presenting the draft document, MP Elinar Vardanyan listed individuals she described as political prisoners and cited European Court of Human Rights precedent that critical or irritating speech should not be treated as incitement to violence.

She condemned the prosecution of Imnmenimi podcast co-hosts Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan under hooliganism charges, arguing their conduct amounted to a civil dispute rather than a criminal offense. She claimed using criminal law in such cases met the threshold for designating detainees as political prisoners.

Vladimir Vardanyan agreed to postpone the vote for two months.