Armenian opposition podcaster says CoE alert 'an unpleasant surprise' for authorities

Detained Armenian opposition podcaster Narek Samsonyan said an alert issued by the Council of Europe (CoE) concerning the arrest of activists and the seizure of media equipment was an unwelcome surprise for the government and underscored international concern over politically motivated prosecutions in Armenia.

In an article published from the Armavir Penitentiary on Saturday, Samsonyan thanked local civil society groups for securing a first-level alert on the CoE Platform for the Safety of Journalists following his and fellow podcaster Vazgen Saghatelyan’s detention and the confiscation of AntiFake’s equipment.

“Receiving such a response from the Council of Europe today can already be considered a ‘heroic’ achievement,” Samsonyan said, crediting the Journalists’ Union of Armenia and the Armenian Center for Political Rights for providing documentation to international bodies.

Samsonyan said the alert showed that “even the political patrons of the authorities cannot ignore ongoing persecution when the work is done properly,” adding that the reaction would be “an unpleasant surprise for the regime”.

Authorities have detained Samsonyan and Saghatelyan on hooliganism charges, which experts and opposition figures have widely dismissed as politically motivated.

Samsonyan said he would continue to seek international scrutiny. “Human rights and democratic values are convictions,” he said. “Those who carry these values should not be discouraged or stop making demands, even if responses are uncertain.”

He added that responsibility for abuses would ultimately fall on those involved. “All participants in this misconduct will not evade accountability in the not-so-distant future,” he said.