Armenian opposition activists again reject 'absurd' charges
Opposition activists Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan, co-hosts the Imnemnimi podcast, went on trial on Monday on charges of “hooliganism” for using slur language to criticize Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government.
The Yerevan Criminal Court scheduled the next hearing in the case for 15 October.
Speaking to reporters after the court hearing, opposition MP Hayk Mamijanyan dismissed the charges against the two activists as an attempt to silence government critics.
Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan, in turn, again rejected the criminal case as absurd and politically motivated.
Also, they hailed the presence of a U.S. organization member at the court hearing, saying it came as a surprise to them.
Saghatelyan called out the law enforcement for failure to prosecute those who used swear words against him in commends below his Facebook videos.