Gohar Meloyan condemns opposition member's detention

Gohar Meloyan, a member of the Strong Armenia party, has denounced the two-month detention of Aregnaz Manukyan, a board member of the opposition Mother Armenia party, calling it politically motivated.

Writing on social media on Friday, Meloyan said Manukyan’s arrest amounts to “a political message” and described her as “a political prisoner.” She argued that the government’s use of detention against critics turns justice into “a tool of political retribution.”

Authorities searched Manukyan’s home weeks earlier, but she did not attempt to evade possible prosecution, Meloyan noted. She also stressed that Manukyan is the mother of a minor child, which should have weighed against imposing the harshest pretrial measure.

“Political dissent is not a crime, and silencing opponents is not justice,” Meloyan said.