Hundreds of Strong Armenia supporters detained ahead of elections, member says

An opposition parliamentary candidate said that Armenian authorities detained or arrested roughly 700 supporters of her political group in the lead-up to the country’s parliamentary elections held on Sunday, including elderly women who had registered as party members.

Gohar Meloyan, a constitutional law expert and candidate representing the Strong Armenia party, made the claims at a news conference on Wednesday, saying the arrests were intended to intimidate supporters during the election campaign.

“Approximately 700 people affiliated with our political force were detained or arrested, including elderly women who had simply come to register as members of the Strong Armenia party,” Meloyan said. “In many cases, officers entered homes in the morning and took people into custody.”

She said those detained were often taken to police stations for questioning and later released without charges. Meloyan also alleged that, in some instances, attorneys were denied access to police facilities during investigative procedures.

Meloyan said the party had filed complaints over violations of fundamental rights, calling the actions a return to practices she said had largely disappeared from Armenia’s electoral process.

She further alleged that law enforcement activity often followed large campaign events, with party offices searched and supporters detained the following day. According to Meloyan, individuals trained to serve as election proxies were among those specifically targeted.

“Even in this climate of fear, the number of our supporters continued to grow,” she said.