Armen Ashotyan is a political prisoner, lawyer insists
The Armenian Anti-Corruption Court is set to hear a motion to release opposition politician Armen Ashotyan, Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party (RPA), on Thursday.
Ashotyan, a vocal government critic who served as Armenia’s education minister from 2012-2016, was arrested on 16 June 2023 on charges of abuse of power and money laundering strongly denied by him as politically motivated.
Before today’s court hearing, his lawyer Tigran Atanesyan stated that Armen Ashotyan “is a political prisoner and the fate of political prisoners is determined by political orders.”
He accused the court of obeying Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s orders to keep Ashotyan in custody.
“If Armenia’s current leader decides that Armen Ashotyan should be released, he will be set free even if we oppose it," Atanesyan added.
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