Armenian opposition MP claims judiciary has become a 'political weapon'

Opposition MP Elinar Vardanyan claims Armenia’s judiciary and law enforcement have been transformed into a tool of political repression.

Speaking at parliamentary hearings, Vardanyan, a member of the Hayastan faction, said that individuals currently held in Armenian prisons meet the criteria outlined in Resolution 1900 (2012) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for designation as political prisoners. She noted that the resolution defines five qualifying criteria and that meeting even one is sufficient for a detainee to be considered a political prisoner.

“Imprisonment on political grounds occurs when detention results from violations of freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, expression, information or assembly, when it is carried out exclusively for political reasons without a link to a criminal act or when the duration and conditions of detention are manifestly disproportionate,” Vardanyan said.

Highlighting 40 political prisoners, Vardanyan drew particular attention to the case of opposition activist Lidya Mantashyan, the only woman among them, arguing that her continued detention “amounts to political punishment”.

According to Vardanyan, the current situation has been made possible by “systematic interference” in the judiciary. She accused the government of reshaping judicial institutions for political ends, altering legislation, illegally dismissing officials, issuing direct instructions from the executive, detaining political, military and religious figures and exerting pressure on courts by blocking court buildings. She further criticized changes to the composition of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Judicial Council as politically motivated.

“As a result, the judicial and legal system has been turned into a political weapon,” she said, arguing that pre-trial detention in Armenia has become a routine punitive measure against government critics.

Vardanyan also expressed regret over insufficient responses from international organizations regarding the issue of political prisoners, claiming that the lack of strong assessments is used by the authorities to dismiss the allegations.