Opposition MP insists on immediate release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku

Armenian opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan has called for the immediate release of Armenians detained in Baku, saying their freedom is a matter of national dignity and serves the interests of the Armenian people.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Abrahamyan, a member of the Pativ Unem faction, said he had been reading a message issued from Baku by Gen. Davit Manukyan and contrasted the conduct of imprisoned Armenians with that of Armenia's current leadership.

"People are defending Armenian statehood from an enemy's prison, while those in power in Yerevan are serving the interests of others," Abrahamyan wrote.

He accused the Armenian leadership of usurping power and steering the country in a direction that undermines its sovereignty. He further alleged that the authorities have turned the state into "an eastern marketplace," claiming that everyone benefits from those arrangements except Armenians.

Abrahamyan said securing the immediate release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku is both a matter of the Armenian nation's collective dignity and a national interest, adding that efforts to achieve their release "have no alternative."