Expert accuses Armenian government of using house arrests to silence critics

An Armenian information security expert has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration of employing house arrests as a political tool to restrict opponents, warning that the measure amounts to detention.

“House arrest is also detention, and when imposed for political reasons, those under it are political prisoners,” Karen Vrtanesyan wrote on Facebook on Monday. He argued that in recent years the measure has evolved into a “smart, targeted and discreet” form of repression, allowing the authorities to sideline politicians and activists without placing them behind bars.

Vrtanesyan pointed to the case of political analyst and lecturer Khachik Galstyan, who was arrested on December 30 and later moved to house arrest on February 26. “He remains a political prisoner,” Vrtanesyan said, calling for the release of all political prisoners in Armenia.