Armenian opposition MP calls for unified rally against government crackdown

Senior opposition politician Ishkhan Saghatelyan has urged rival opposition groups in Armenia to set aside differences and convene a joint rally in response to escalating government repression.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Saghatelyan, a Hayastan faction MP and a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, condemned the recent detention of female activists from the Strong Armenia party, calling the arrests emblematic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration.

“The current authorities' unlawful practices remain unchanged,” Saghatelyan said, listing a series of incidents he attributed to government overreach. He argued that despite competition in upcoming elections, opposition parties must consolidate around core issues such as resisting political harassment, securing the release of political prisoners and ensuring transparency in the electoral process.

“We propose that opposition forces convene a unified rally to deliver a proper response to these abuses and to jointly resist the government’s unlawful practices,” he declared.