Armenian opposition MP accuses government of using military service as tool of intimidation

Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan has strongly criticized the Armenian authorities, accusing them of treating military service as a form of “blackmail, punishment, threat and imprisonment.”

Writing on social media on Friday, Abrahamyan, a member of the Pativ Unem faction, said the government’s approach to military duty undermines the values of patriotism and dignity. He criticized the deployment of military police at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport and threats of mandatory training call-ups for Armenians returning from abroad ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.

“In fact, the army and military service are platforms for patriotism, devotion and dignity, but this mission and idea will remain forever alien to the current leadership,” Abrahamyan said.