Widespread Arrests of Those Subject to Criminal Cases that Interest the Authorities, Says Aleksanyan

The political persecution of opposition figures is not only ongoing but has also intensified. This opinion was expressed during a press conference by the elected mayor of Goris, Arush Arushanyan, and Eric Aleksanyan, the lawyer of professor and 'Armenia' faction member Armen Charchyan.

According to Aleksanyan, both the criminal cases against Arushanyan and Charchyan are under the scrutiny of the political authorities.

“Representatives of the authorities not only refer to the criminal cases in their speeches but also to the individuals themselves. A question arises: do the representatives of the authorities have the right to make statements regarding a particular criminal case, and can they have certain expectations regarding that case? The answer is obvious: of course, not,” said Aleksanyan.

He noted that widespread arrests are being made of those against whom the authorities are interested in the criminal cases. For instance, in the case against Arushanyan, he is detained based on the testimony of one person: the head of the Karahunj community, Lusine Avetian. Later, despite Avetian stating that she had given false testimony, Arushanyan remains in custody.

Aleksanyan indicated that the fact that Arushanyan continues to be imprisoned proves that the prosecutor's office is committed to serving its mission to the authorities. The judicial authority, according to him, also continues to follow this case.

As for the criminal case against Armen Charchyan, Aleksanyan stated that it is currently being deliberately prolonged. According to the lawyer, Charchyan is receiving more than 100 units of insulin yet remains in custody.

Aleksanyan concluded by stating that to characterize these cases as political persecution is simply naive.