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The detention of two Armenian opposition activists is “yet another disgrace and indication of impunity" in the country, claims Arman Saghatelyan, the brother of arrested activist Vazgen Saghatelyan.

Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, who co-host the Imnemnimi Podcast, were detained in Yerevan on Friday for using slur language against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his regime. They have been charged with “hooliganism” and remanded in pre-trial custody for two months.

The criminal case, according to the prosecutor’s office, is based on the “slur language” article, which was adopted by the parliament in the aftermath of the 2020 war to silence critics, but then decriminalized following pressure from Council of Europe, OSCE and other players. Now the content of the same article is wrapped in Article 297 of the Penal Code as “hooliganism”.

"I think the court order could be expected, as the whole process is essentially politically motivated,” Arman Saghatelyan told reporters outside the Yerevan court which ordered his brother’s confinement.

“I had no other expectations, although there was some trust in the judicial system, which was misplaced. The court made the same decision as in Narek Samsonyan’s case. This is yet another effort to terrorize the dissent and stifle free speech," Saghatelyan underscored.

He expects the politically motivated cases to grow further in Armenia as more people are voicing criticism of the government.