"Freedom for Armenian political prisoners": Protest held outside  government building during Ursula von der Leyen`s visit to Yerevan

ArmInfo. A protest in support of political prisoners was held outside the Armenian government building amid European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Yerevan.

Protesters gathered in the center of the city to draw the European  Commission President's attention to the issue of political detainees  in Armenia. Demonstrators carried photographs of individuals they  claim were detained on political grounds, chanting "Freedom" and  demanding an end to political persecution. A significant police  presence was deployed to the government building in response to the  protest.  Speaking to journalists, Menua Soghomonyan, a  representative of the Hayakve civil society organization, noted that  the purpose of the protest was to raise their voices while officials  were engaging in "protocol handshakes and smiles" intended to mask  the reality of the situation. He accused the European Commission  President of shaking hands with a leader who "has filled Armenia's  prisons with political prisoners."

"By your visit and diplomatic gesture, you are encouraging  authoritarianism in Armenia and the imprisonment of people for  freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is not a crime," Soghomonyan  stated.  He further alleged that the law enforcement system in  Armenia is failing to address actual crime because it is preoccupied  with building cases against political opponents.

Political analyst Stepan Danielyan argued that the constitutional  order in Armenia is no longer functioning.  He characterized the  current administration under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as a  dictatorship that uses the court system to silence opposition.

"Our primary political task is to restore the constitutional order in  a country where a dictatorship has been established, backed by  external patrons," Danielyan said. He specifically criticized Ursula  von der Leyen for framing these actions as a way of "preserving  democracy," arguing that the European Union, in pursuit of its own  geopolitical interests, is undermining the remaining foundations of  democracy in Armenia. He concluded that citizens must realize that  the "democracy" currently being promoted by the EU will lead to its  eventual erosion and that solutions to Armenia's problems must come  from within.

 "The so-called European Union, driven by its geopolitical interests,  is destroying the last vestiges of democracy in Armenia. We must not  deceive ourselves and must understand that only we can solve our  problems," Danielyan noted. During the protest, demonstrators  announced that they had also submitted three written statements to  Ursula von der Leyen's email address.

Recall, Ursula von der Leyen paid a working visit to Yerevan on July  2. During her visit, she met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan, followed by a joint press conference.