Armenia's chief prosecutor to skip parliamentary hearings on political prisoners

Armenia’s Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan will not attend parliamentary hearings on an opposition-drafted statement concerning political prisoners and the restoration of their rights, scheduled for Wednesday.

The hearings have been called by the opposition Hayastan faction in response to concerns about politically motivated detentions in Armenia.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Hayastan MP Kristine Vardanyan said Vardapetyan cited prior commitments as the reason for her absence.

Vardanyan criticized the decision, noting that it was not surprising given that the hearings were initiated by an opposition faction rather than the ruling Civil Contract party. She added that it would have been unexpected for Vardapetyan to attend and publicly deny the existence of political persecution in the country.