Ioannisyan: The Authorities Must Explain the Grounds for Arthur Osipyans Arrest

Human rights defender Daniel Ioannisyan's Facebook post states: "I am not a fan of Arthur Osipyan, but he was fighting against corruption in Artsakh. There is no hooliganism or other criminal composition in Osipyan's actions.

Osipyan has voiced political criticism against candidate Nikol Pashinyan, in response to which he received personal, dignity-degrading remarks, including expressions such as 'be saved, you should die...'. It is highly concerning that the law enforcement's reaction followed not a proportional and unbiased assessment of the entire incident, but solely the application of a measure of deprivation of freedom against Osipyan.

Meanwhile, there have been no visible, appropriate actions taken against other individuals who displayed apparent aggressive behavior and made insulting remarks during the same incident, including supporters of the ruling political force. These circumstances cast reasonable doubt on the legality of the action taken against Osipyan, suggesting it may have been influenced by his sharp political criticism directed at the Prime Minister.

Therefore, law enforcement agencies are obliged to promptly provide a public clarification regarding the factual grounds for Osipyan's arrest, whether the actions of other participants in the incident were assessed, and why the same or equivalent measures were not applied to them.

In light of the above, the Independent Observer coalition demands the immediate removal of restrictions on Arthur Osipyan's freedom, and relevant authorities should publicly apologize if it turns out that the intervention against him was disproportionate, selective, or politically motivated."