ArmInfo.Vice president of the Armenian National Congress Party Levon Zurabyan joined the group of people who acted as guarantors for the arrested Vice Chairman of the Republican Party Armen Ashotyan.
In his speech, Zurabyan noted that over the past 20 years, he, like the ANC, have constantly criticized the RPA, which is represented by Armen Ashotyan, including on corruption, demanding that law enforcement agencies punish corrupt officials in the most severe manner. The vice-chairman of the ANC noted that the party he represents has always opposed the use of such a preventive measure as preliminary arrest, considering it an unfair form of forceful pressure and considering it as political persecution by the authorities.
The use of such a preventive measure as arrest can be considered in such cases as attempts to overthrow the constitutional order, robbery attacks, which are directly related to public safety. However, in the case of Armen Ashotyan, there is no question of public safety at all, and his being free will not counter a free and fair trial.
In addition, as Zurabyan noted, it is very important to understand whether the idea of fighting corruption is really at the heart of the proceedings. In 2013, the ANC faction in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia presented a list of criminal transactions, demanding a proper investigation into each of them. Then the current Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan joined this initiative. However, as the vice-chairman of the ANC noted, so far no one from this list has appeared in court, and in a number of cases the proceedings have been terminated. "The real robbers left the country, and Ashotyan was arrested because of the sharp criticism of the authorities' position," Zurabyan said.