In Armenia, Whoever You Catch, They Say is a Political Prisoner: Vahagn Aleksanyan

Armenia respects the rulings of international bodies, but at the same time, a member of the ruling party noted that the situation is more complex. This was stated by MP Vahagn Aleksanyan in an interview with Haykakan Zhamanak.

“We are talking about several security measures concerning a claim, some of which the team of Samvel Karapetyan presented to Stockholm's arbitration: some were satisfied, others were not. They had also requested the release of Karapetyan, which was not granted. Now the question is, what is more important for them—Samvel Karapetyan's freedom or their capital? The Republic of Armenia respects the decisions of international bodies, but there is a nuance: Armenia cannot make the safety of its citizens a subject of negotiation. Armenian citizens are dissatisfied, electronics are breaking down, and they are deprived of electricity for hours,” Aleksanyan stated.

According to Aleksanyan, if abuses are found in the energy distribution company, as he is more than confident they will be, then the nationalization might have a legitimate basis. Addressing the opposition's claims that Karapetyan, Galstyan, and Ajapahyan are political prisoners, the MP remarked, “In this country, whoever you catch, they say is a political prisoner; soon they might say that Nairi Hunanyan is a political prisoner too—although there are already those saying it.”

Aleksanyan believes that Samvel Karapetyan, who insists that he wasn't cut by the FSB in Lubyanka, is trying to convince that the intellectual level of Armenian citizens is low. “Have you seen what memes they create with Latin-script writings? Does Samvel Karapetyan's son know how to read or write in Armenian? Let's put aside the fact that he is not an Armenian citizen,” he added.

Commenting on the assertion that the latter group wants to develop the Armenian economy, Aleksanyan said, “The kind of economic development they envision looks like the Circus building; they have been building it for ten years or more, not to mention the work of the energy distribution company.”

Commenting on asserations made by Ter-Petrosyan that the authorities should refrain from holding a rally in Ejmiatsin, the member of the “Civil Contract” faction noted, “Levon Ter-Petrosyan regularly presents pessimistic claims about bloodshed and clashes; he initiated this starting from the 2021 elections when he called on Kocharyan and Sargsyan to form an alliance and was rejected. His predictions have proven wrong until now.”

When asked what might connect Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Garegin B, he said that there have been publications regarding Ter-Petrosyan serving this or that center via Ktrich Nersisyan.

Aleksanyan recalls that when Nikol Pashinyan made the revolution in 2018, not a drop of blood was spilled. “Let them think that 20 people gather somewhere and start hitting each other on the head,” he concluded.

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