The Authorities Underestimate the Situation Currently Prevailing in Armenia and Around It: Seyran Ohanyan

On October 16, 168.am reported that the Special Investigation Service did not permit Seyran Ohanyan, the leader of the "Armenia" faction and former Minister of Defense, to travel to St. Petersburg to participate in the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO on defense issues.

The "Armenia" alliance issued a statement highlighting that a preventive measure has been applied to Seyran Ohanyan within the framework of an expired criminal prosecution. "The case of Zora HPP is under the supervision of investigator B. Chilingaryan, in which Mr. Seyran Ohanyan is a defendant, and a preventive measure has been chosen regarding his non-departure. The statute of limitations for criminal responsibility in this case expired nearly a year ago, meaning that whatever is confirmed regarding this case, Mr. Ohanyan cannot be held criminally liable," detailed Ohanyan's lawyer Karen Mejlumyan.

In an interview with 168.am, former Minister of Defense and MP Seyran Ohanyan commented on the decision of the Special Investigation Service, noting, "The decisions and actions of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia and the political majority are not adequate to the reality that exists in the region, around Armenia and Artsakh." He further elaborated: "I was supposed to participate in the work of the CSTO Inter-Parliamentary Assembly's defense committee, of which I am a member. There are quite serious issues concerning the security system and the defense sector, and I find it incomprehensible why my obligations as a member of parliament are being restricted, why the participation of a person who can play a significant role in the discussed issues and decision-making is being limited, thereby also elevating the image of our republic. And it’s incomprehensible to me, the investigator’s response. The investigator elaborates on the essence of the case, which has already lost its statute of limitations, says that the head of the National Assembly has approached me for participation in these works, and in the end, an absurd decision that says the request is unfounded. What more substantiated request should there be that states Seyran Ohanyan, as an MP of the "Armenia" faction, should participate in the CSTO Inter-Parliamentary Assembly’s meeting on defense issues? This once again shows that these authorities do not seriously assess the situation that currently prevails in Armenia and around it."