Gagik Tsarukyan is a political prisoner now - Prosperous Armenia Party
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) political board issued a statement over the Friday ruling of the Yerevan Court to arrest the leader of the party Gagik Tsarukyan. To note, the Court, presided over by judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan, upheld the motion filed by the National Security Service (NSS) to arrest the opposition MP facing vote-buying charges.
"The court didn't provide any reasonable argument how Gagik Tsarukyan had obstructed the preliminary investigation after four months the charges had been brought against him. The occurred is a clear political vendetta against the leader of the second largest opposition force of the parliament and Prosperous Armenia Party. It is obvious that Gagik Tsarukyan is a political prisoner now. Led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the authorities who failed in all spheres after two and a half years of revolution, attempt to silence the opposition through a dirty campaign, instructing the obedient judge to arrest Tsarukyan," the statement said, in part.
The statement next points that authorities have targeted number of PAP representatives, heads of the party regional branches, lawmakers who face political persecution through fake legal processes.
The political board statement insists the authorities try to establish an atmosphere of fear and terror in the country through political vendettas.
"Prosperous Armenia Party along with other political forces will continue its struggle for solutions of the problems with the anticipation of which the citizens took to the streets two and a half years ago. Authorities are instead busy with continuous searches for internal enemies, political vendettas and attempts to establish a dictatorship," the statement added.