Opposition MP: Activist Lidya Mantashyan being punished on government's orders

An opposition MP on Friday accused the Armenian authorities of using the judiciary to punish activist Lidya Mantashyan, a member of the Holy Struggle movement led by detained Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.

Elinar Vardanyan, an MP from the opposition Hayastan faction, told reporters in the parliament that the court’s decision to extend Mantashyan’s pretrial detention by another three months was politically motivated.

“It gives the impression that the extension of her detention is being applied as a form of punishment,” she said, stressing that Mantashyan has already spent nearly five months with restricted access to her relatives and lawmakers. “This can only be viewed as punitive.”

Vardanyan said she was convinced the court was “punishing Mantashyan on the orders from the authorities.”

Mantashyan and Galstanyan, who has been leading anti-government protests, are among several defendants in an ongoing criminal case widely criticized by opposition groups as politically motivated.

Commenting on Thursday’s court hearing involving Galstanyan and 17 other defendants, Vardanyan noted that the court’s decision to replace several defendants’ pretrial detention with house arrest or administrative supervision exposed the weakness of the prosecution.

“The case is so empty and baseless that even the court seems unconvinced the evidence will suffice for a ruling,” she said, adding that public pressure had also contributed to the easing of the measures.

However, Vardanyan warned that despite the changes, the charges remain in place. “The restraint measures are being changed, but the criminal prosecution continues,” she said. “These people are being forced to participate in a judicial farce with no legal foundation.”