‘We have not had this many political prisoners in Armenian history’

The newspaper ‘Fact’ reports that the intolerance of authorities towards dissent in Armenia is becoming increasingly concerning, along with the use of law enforcement tools in political relations. The Executive Director of the International Center for the Development of Parliamentarism, Gohar Meloyan, stated in an interview with ‘Fact’: ‘In my assessment, we probably have not had this many political prisoners in Armenian history. Today, figures who express political opinions and hold opposition positions are the number one target of law enforcement agencies. The issue is that absurd legal processes are initiated against people based on baseless charges that are unimaginable in a legal and lawful country where the rule of law and legality prevail.’

Meloyan also considers it a grave issue that ‘detention has become a classic punitive tool, a club for repressing opposition figures and limiting their right to free speech. Not to mention that personal freedom is already being targeted.’

The President of the Armenian Helsinki Committee, human rights defender Avetik Ishkhanyan, noted in an interview with us that today dissent has become punishable, characteristic of authoritarian countries. ‘The button- MPs of the Prime Minister are artificially filling the Criminal Code with articles that contradict international standards to charge opposition members. These articles include financially incentivizing participants of rallies and inciting violence. Today, shamefully, we have about 50 political prisoners in Armenia, including women and minors,’ said Ishkhanyan.