Opposition MP: Defense Ministry signals legal risks over army remarks

Armenia’s Defence Ministry has signalled that public comments about sensitive issues within the armed forces could expose a ruling party lawmaker to legal consequences, an opposition MP said, highlighting tensions within the government.

Tigran Abrahamyan, who represents the Pativ Unem faction, said a contentious session of the National Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee revealed both internal political frictions and deeper problems within the military.

“The developments at the parliamentary committee meeting had multiple layers — from sharp intra-government confrontation to deep-rooted issues within the army,” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

He argued that the authorities are unwilling to tolerate criticism even from within their own ranks when it concerns policy failures, negative trends and a deteriorating situation across various sectors.

According to Abrahamyan, the ministry’s response to recent remarks by ruling Civil Contract party MP Hayk Sargsyan amounted to a warning.

“The ministry effectively signalled that the ruling party MP was dealing with classified information, implying that raising systemic issues in the army could lead to legal consequences,” he said.

The Defence Ministry had earlier responded to Sargsyan’s statements about the armed forces, saying that “such misinformation may cause unnecessary public concern and create a distorted perception of conditions within the military.”