Opposition MP accuses Pashinyan's government of efforts to silence critics
Opposition Pativ Unem faction MP Tigran Abrahamyan has accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government of attempts to silence all critical voices following the arrests of two oppositionists.
Activists Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, who co-host the Imnemnimi Podcast, were detained in Yerevan on Friday for using slur language against Nikol Pashinyan and his regime. They have been charged with “hooliganism” and remanded in pre-trial custody for two months.
“The incarceration of Narek Samsonian and Vazgen Saghatelyan is aimed at instigating a climate of fear and sending a message to activists,” Abrahamyan told reporters on Saturday, adding the authorities' efforts to silence their opponents should fail.
"Especially at a time when the incumbent authorities make painful decisions, particularly in connection with Armenia’s territorial integrity or the negotiation process, the repressive apparatus is involved," the MP stated.
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