Opposition MP says law-enforcement authorities failed to respond to threats faced by him
Armenia’s law-enforcement authorities failed to respond to the threats received by Edmon Marukyan, the head of the Bright Armenia opposition faction of the Armenian parliament, the lawmaker said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference in the National Assembly, the opposition MP said he and other Bright Armenia MPs have received threatening letters after the well-known parliament session.
The MP says he has publicized the threats on social media. “However, no law-enforcement agency has contacted me so far to understand what those threats are. A politician reports threats, while there is zero response from law-enforcement authorities,” he said. “This is normal, since the hatred is being generated by the authorities, why should the authorities respond to it? I am disappointed.”
In Marukyan’s words, he reported the threats to Armenia’s attorney general on Monday, stating the person who voiced threats against him is not a fake user.
The MP also said a decision has been made to conduct an audit at the Vanadzor Municipality aimed at clarifying whether there are any employees from the Bright Armenia party and any concerns or proposals concerning them.
“It’s a clear political order to find out if there are any members of the party in the municipality. I am still waiting for the authorities to clarify what kind of audit it is to look for Bright Armenia members,” he said.
In a post on Facebook, Marukyan denounced the move as an attempt of ‘political persecution’, stressing it is not fit for democracy.