Armenian public, political figures decry opposition party member's arrest

Armenian public and political figures on Tuesday criticized the arrest of Khachik Galstyan, a senior member of the opposition Homeland Party, calling the move politically motivated, as authorities declined to specify the charges against him.

Galstyan, a board member of the party and its secretary-general, was arrested after being summoned to the Anti-Corruption Committee, which has filed a motion seeking his pre-trial detention. The agency has not publicly disclosed the case involving Galstyan.

Members of parliament, former lawmakers, academics and political analysts issued statements expressing support for Galstyan and condemning what they described as political persecution.

Tigran Abrahamyan, secretary of the Pativ Unem faction, said the arrest fit into what he called a broader pattern of political repression.

“Political persecution against Khachik Galstyan is part of the logic of building authoritarian rule in our country,” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook, describing Galstyan as a principled and professional academic.

Former MP Naira Karapetyan also criticized the detention, saying arrests in the run-up to elections undermined Armenia’s democratic credentials.

“Each case of a political prisoner is an indelible stain on the country’s reputation,” she wrote, adding that detaining individuals ahead of the New Year holidays inflicted harm on families.

Iran specialist Vardan Voskanyan described Galstyan as a respected scholar and family man.

“Arresting Khachik is pettiness, simply an inhumane step,” he wrote.

Political analyst Alen Ghevondyan recalled Galstyan’s emotional speech at a conference in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) after the 2020 war, describing him as deeply committed to the Armenian cause.

Activist Edgar Ghazaryan said the arrest of Galstyan and another Homeland Party member, Aram Kocharyan, demonstrated the authorities’ intolerance of political opponents, even those who failed to cross the electoral threshold in recent local elections.