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Nikol Pashinyan’s government is trying to silence public discontent, Media Advocate initiative said in a statement on Saturday, following the detention of several Armenian opposition figures. The full text of the statement is below. 

"Karen Bekaryan, co-owner of Qaryak Media media holding, was arrested based on a contrived and a false accusation. Along with him, the National Security Service (NSS) detained expert in Azerbaijani studies Anzhela Elibegova, lawyer Gohar Meloyan and others who actively represent their standpoints on social networks. Searches were carried out without a court decision, lawyers were not allowed to communicate with their clients for a long time, all the processes were carried out with unprecedented violations of the law.

This is yet another step against freedom of speech within the framework of the current campaign launched by the authorities. At the present stage, this was preceded by a ban on citing anonymous sources for the media, which contradicts both the Armenian legislation and our international obligations. E- draft.am (Unified website for publication of legal acts’ drafts) has posted a new law on insulting or slandering a person in public service at the suggestion of the Prosecutor’s Office, which envisages imprisonment in addition to հօrrible fines.

The government of Nikol Pashinyan, which has declared itself the standard of democracy, allows itself such laws and actions that even the most authoritarian states would not have similar impudence towards the international community. He is convinced that the majority of the National Assembly, obedient to him, will pass these laws without any questions.

Instead of explaining the disgraceful defeat in the war, the death of 5,000 young soldiers, the loss of 10,000 square kilometers, and eliminating its consequences, Nikol Pashinyan’s government is trying to silence public discontent by threatening with fines and arrests.

The active society and especially the journalistic community are obliged to resist the arbitrariness of the authorities and hold them accountable for such manifestations, as well as to show that Nikol Pashinyan’s government is obliged to take responsibility for the heaviest losses and capitulation suffered in the war.

Nikol Pashinyan will fail to silence free speech.

Freedom for political prisoners."