Johannes Ishkhanian Detained Following Facebook Post

Documentary filmmaker and participant of the 44-day war, Johannes Ishkhanian, was detained yesterday on suspicion of preparing to seize power. This was confirmed by Ishkhanian himself in an interview with "Factinfo."

It is noteworthy that law enforcement authorities have made such an assessment based on his Facebook post, in which he called on all forces and influential figures to take action to remove Turkish representatives from Armenia.

Ishkhanian was detained by police officers right after making the aforementioned post, but according to his opinion, the influence of his recently screened film “Man Eghi” also played a role. "Perhaps the 'dose' was too much; they wanted to harm me," Ishkhanian stated, recounting that he was detained by about 6-7 individuals in civilian clothes.

During the detention, police did not inform Ishkhanian of the grounds for his arrest; it was only at the police station that they told him a criminal case had been initiated against him for the suspicion of preparing to seize power.

"I am a suspect; no charges have been filed against me," Ishkhanian noted. He did not provide an explanation at the police station. It was also reported that the Office of the Human Rights Defender was informed about his detention by individuals in civilian clothes, after which representatives of the Human Rights Defender's office visited Ishkhanian at the police station.

When asked whether calling on the people to rise up and remove Turkish representatives from Armenia has been interpreted as preparation for a seizure of power, Ishkhanian emphasized that the Turkish government representatives in Armenia have accepted that they are indeed representatives of the Turkish government. For this reason, actions have been taken against them.

As for what can be expected from the case proceedings, given that the authorities effectively accept that they are representatives of Turkey, Ishkhanian noted that it depends on the situation in the country and what initiatives will be launched. "The fact that they should quickly leave by any means and be held accountable for their crimes remains a fundamental agenda for the Armenian people if this nation truly wants to exist," Ishkhanian stated.