Avetik Chalabyan rejects government legitimacy in letter from prison

Avetik Chalabyan, coordinator of the HayaKve civic initiative, has released a letter from Armavir Penitentiary denouncing Armenia’s leadership as illegitimate and warning of growing public resistance.

In the message, Chalabyan accused the government of using the Constitutional Court to enforce what he described as a “shameful and unconstitutional” July 4 ruling. He alleged that authorities had manipulated the vote and “stolen the people’s mandate” through threats and pressure.

Chalabyan urged opposition forces to reject the government’s legitimacy, calling it an “occupation regime imposed by foreign powers.” He said the administration no longer enjoys popular support and predicted that future decisions would face increasing resistance.

“We will see this in the coming months,” Chalabyan wrote, urging supporters to strengthen their ranks and prepare for upcoming opportunities to prevail.

Chalabyan has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months on charges of preparing to obstruct the free exercise of citizens' electoral rights.