Editor warns of escalation of political persecution in Armenia

AntiFake editor-in-chief Astghik Matevosyan claims political persecution in Armenia has escalated in recent years, resembling practices seen in authoritarian Azerbaijan.

Speaking at Wednesday’s parliamentary hearing on political prisoners, Matevosyan outlined rights violations against AntiFake.am staff members and Imnemnimi podcast hosts Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, viewed by experts as political prisoners.

Matevosyan said renewed pressure on the two podcasters began after what she called their “mild” reaction to National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan’s offensive remarks about them. She accused Simonyan of ordering their arrests and filing a civil lawsuit against them “for the same statements”, describing the actions as “terror against a media outlet.”

She highlighted that activists, community leaders, clergy and journalists in Armenia are being detained for their political views, while international organizations that champion democracy and free speech remain largely silent.

“For the past eight years, a kakistocracy that has turned the political system into a gang has criminalized free speech under charges of hooliganism, overthrowing the constitutional order and spreading hate speech,” Matevosyan said. “Yet the number one hooligan group, the number one threat to the constitutional order and the number one source of hate speech is their own political clique.”

Matevosyan asserted that the existence of around 60 political prisoners is “a profound shame for Armenia”, adding those responsible for political impunity will ultimately face justice. She also criticized Western diplomatic missions, saying opposition groups and independent media have been forced to defend Western values more actively than the embassies that promote them.

“We will do everything to ensure that international organizations and embassies cannot claim tomorrow that they ‘did not know’,” the editor said.