Saghatelyan condemns home search, calls criminal case 'absurd'

Armenian opposition lawmaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan on Tuesday condemned a search of his home as politically motivated, dismissing the criminal case against him as “absurd” and accusing the authorities of continuing a years-long campaign of pressure against opposition figures.

Speaking to reporters following the early-morning search, Saghatelyan, a senior member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and an MP from the opposition Hayastan alliance, said investigators were acting within the framework of a criminal proceeding linked to allegations that he failed to comply with demands issued by Armenia’s Compulsory Enforcement Service.

Authorities arrived in force, surrounded the residential building and seized jewelry and cash from the residence, Saghatelyan said.

He argued that the case stemmed from unlawful demands made by enforcement officials, which he said were challenged in the Administrative Court. According to Saghatelyan, prosecutors subsequently opened a criminal investigation and transferred the case to the Investigative Committee.

“The case was formally launched only a few days after the elections, although they had been working on it for months,” he said.

The opposition politician characterized the operation as the latest episode in seven years of pressure targeting him and other government critics.

“I expected them to come up with more serious accusations,” he said. “Compared with previous allegations such as attempting to overthrow the constitutional order or organizing mass unrest, this case is simply absurd.”

He vowed to challenge the investigation through all available legal avenues and insisted that pressure tactics would not force him to retreat from political activity.

Saghatelyan said he has not yet been granted procedural status in the case but has been summoned for questioning.