Strong Armenia party member detained for two months

A court in Armenia has ordered the pretrial detention of Alik Aleksanyan, a senior member of the opposition Strong Armenia party, for two months, days before the country’s June 7 parliamentary elections.

The Investigative Committee said on Wednesday that Aleksanyan had been charged with financially incentivizing participation in rallies and large-scale money laundering.

Authorities said Aleksanyan was arrested by police before the court hearing as investigators sought his detention as a measure of restraint.

Aleksanyan had recorded a video statement that was released after his arrest. In the message, he rejected the allegations and accused the government of attempting to iintimidate its political opponents.