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Opposition politician and former RPA MP Arman Saghatelyan called out Europe’s silence over the Armenian government’s crackdown on free speech and dissent.

Saghatelyan, whose brother Vazgen has been remanded in custody for using slur language to criticize Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his regime during an episode of the Imnemnimi podcast co-hosted by him, on Monday joined a protest demanding the release of political prisoners outside the Armenian Foreign Ministry which hosted Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić.

The politician believes the silence of European institutions and officials on persecution of government critics could have two reasons. "First, they are not properly informed, because they no longer have the resources to familiarize themselves with the objective reality as many of those who once fought for human rights are now part of the current government. Second, they simply choose to turn a blind eye to the current situation, putting interests above values,” he stated.

In response to a question about European officials' reactions to the issue of political prisoners raised by the opposition during the RPA rule, Saghatelyan said: "I remember very well their reactions under all Armenian governments. On any occasion, whether it was criticism or something like harassment, a fuss was immediately raised. This is not the first case, by the way. The first case was recorded when these dictators put pressure on the judicial system. Pashinyan's supporters surrounded court buildings in Armenia, and judges who were on their way to work were simply not allowed into their offices and were pushed to the ground.”

"In 30 years, I don't recall such unprecedented attacks on freedom of speech, dissent and expression of political views. The events of 2018 in Armenia would simply not have occurred if dissenting opinions had been banned,” Saghatelyan underscored.