Five dozen Armenian intellectuals speak in defense of Andranik  Tevanyan and all political prisoners

ArmInfo.Fifty members of the intelligentsia in Armenia have issued a joint statement in defense of Andranik Tevanyan, leader of the Mother Armenia party and the second-ranking member of parliament for the Prosperous Armenia Party  (PAP), and all political prisoners in the country.

"The parliamentary elections of June 7, 2026, in our opinion, took  place amid widespread violations of the law, repression, a climate of  fear, public threats against the opposition, arrests, and  persecution. Many opposition figures were subjected to illegal  persecution. Two weeks before the vote, an illegal criminal case was  initiated against Andranik Tevanyan, chairman of the Mother Armenia  party and second on the PAP election list, with the aim of disrupting  the normal course of the election campaign and isolating him. This  unacceptable behavior by the authorities continues today. It is clear  that the authorities cannot prolong their rule with such repressive  measures," the statement reads.

It also emphasizes that by persecuting patriotic figures and  dissidents, the Armenian authorities are weakening the country's  resilience and jeopardizing security. It adds that such actions make  it impossible to build a democratic state, as the current authorities  have claimed.

"It appears that the current government is attempting to create a new  dictatorship and foster a widespread atmosphere of fear, following  the example of Stalin's 1937 repressions. Many members of the  Armenian intelligentsia are deeply concerned about the events  unfolding in the country and have no moral right to remain silent and  indifferent at this critical moment. On the one hand, the need to  stop the loss of Armenian statehood, and on the other, responsibility  for the future, have compelled us to raise our voices. We, the  undersigned, express our unconditional support to Andranik Tevanyan,  imprisoned on fabricated charges, and to all political prisoners  honestly participating in the struggle for the survival of the state.  Freedom for Andranik Tevanyan. Freedom for all political prisoners,"  the statement reads.

Signatories of the statement include: director Artur Sahakyan; actor  Levon Harutyunyan; cultural figure Samvel Aroyan; director and member  of the Union of Cinematographers of the Republic of Armenia Samvel  Tadevosyan; Composer and People's Artist of Armenia Martin  Vardazaryan; Honored Teacher and Professor Gurgen Melikyan; Doctor of  Economics and Professor Tatul Manaseryan; Artist and State Prize  Laureate of Armenia Ashot Avagyan; Singer and Honored Artist of  Armenia Anna Mailyan; Screenwriter Levon Galstyan; Director and  Honored Artist of Armenia Zhirayr Dadasyan; Singer and Honored Artist  of Armenia Nersik Ispiryan; Writer and publicist Meruzhan  Ter-Gulanyan; Candidate of Philological Sciences Nara Sargsyan;  Candidate of Sociological Sciences Artashes Bakhshyan, and others.

As a reminder, on May 21, the Investigative Committee (IC) of Armenia  announced the opening of a criminal case against Andranik Tevanyan  for "high treason and espionage." Tevanyan is accused of transferring  information containing state secrets to a foreign state for $622,000.  On the night of May 24, Tevanyan was remanded in custody for two  months by court order. According to Tevanyan's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan,  there were no legal grounds for his client's detention. It should be  added that the opposition figure's arrest occurred on the direct  orders of current Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Tevanyan  himself called the investigation's allegations absurd, noting that he  resigned his parliamentary mandate in 2023, and therefore the  Investigative Committee's allegations are baseless.