«No confirmed information about the presence of political prisoners in Armenia». Manasyan

The candidate proposed by the Human Rights Defender for the ruling Civil Contract faction of the National Assembly, Anahit Manasyan, notes that reports from international organizations currently indicate that there is no confirmed information about the presence of political prisoners in the Republic of Armenia.

Manasyan made this statement during the discussion of her candidacy at a session of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, in response to a question from Civil Contract MP Arpine Davoyan.

Davoyan pointed out that various opposition figures claim that opposition members in Armenia are subjected to political persecution and that criminal cases are initiated against them. She inquired about the opinion of the nominated Human Rights Defender regarding this.

Manasyan responded that engaging in political activity and being held accountable for any unlawful act does not, by itself, constitute grounds for labeling a person as a political prisoner.

“In other words, the mere fact that a person is engaged in political activity and is suddenly held accountable for an act does not imply that they are a political prisoner,” stated the Human Rights Defender candidate.

She emphasized that each situation is very individual, meaning that the circumstances of the case must be thoroughly examined to understand whether a specific individual can be considered a political prisoner within that context.

“I can only note at this moment the reports from international organizations which present evaluations and situational assessments regarding the state of human rights protection in Armenia. At this stage, they record that there is no confirmed information regarding the presence of political prisoners in the Republic of Armenia,” said Manasyan.

She stressed, however, that serious consideration must be given to ensuring that the principles of equality are not violated in any form. In other words, the state should not be in a situation where an individual, even under very legitimate grounds, is held accountable due to holding a specific political view, while another individual with a different political view does not face similar accountability under the same equal circumstances.

“The goal for all of us should actually be to prevent such situations altogether,” highlighted Manasyan.