Political analyst accuses Pashinyan government of crackdown on critics

Armenian political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan claims that the detention of two opposition podcasters and a recent assault on a former MP were driven by political decisions, accusing the authorities of selectively applying the law against government critics.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Melik-Shahnazaryan highlighted that Imnemnini podcast co-hosts Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan have been held in pre-trial detention for more than one month on fabricated charges of hooliganism. According to him, one of the charges stems from Samsonyan’s use of the word “buttocks” during a broadcast.

Melik-Shahnazaryan contrasted their detention with a separate case involving an attack on former MP and opposition activist Mihran Hakobyan. He stressed that Hakobyan was assaulted in broad daylight by an organized group using masks and false license plates, yet the assailants were released by a court.

“The same hooliganism article is applied in both cases,” the analyst wrote. “In one case, two-month detention was imposed, in the other case, the attackers were released. This is neither illogical nor immoral, it's simply a political order.”

He accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government of targeting critics through arrests, harassment or violence. “Narek and Vazgen were detained by a political decision,” he said. “Mihran was attacked by a political decision and by that same decision, the perpetrators were released.”