Armenia will become country where persecution will no longer serve as  means of deterring people from political activity - Narek Karapetyan 

ArmInfo.  Armenia will become a country where political persecution and criminal cases will no longer  serve as a means of deterring people from political activity.  This  was stated by Narek Karapetyan, a member of the political council of  the "Strong Armenia" bloc, responding to the news of a criminal case  against him.

Recently, putting forward a political candidacy in Armenia has become  a crime, and there's no need to even delve into what you might be  accused of. He added that in today's Armenia, even imagining and  wishing for a better country is considered a crime. "But this is a  test for those willing to endure hardships, and for those who try  their best to avoid them. We are ready for these difficulties. I've  said it once before and I'll say it again: for our struggle, it's a  much greater honor to be on the other side of the bars than on this  one.  Armenia will become a country where political persecution and  criminal cases will no longer serve as a means of deterring people  from political activity, and where law enforcement agencies will work  to ensure that the country has true rule of law, not daily murders.  There's nothing difficult about being imprisoned," Karapetyan noted  in his video message on Facebook.

He emphasized that for him and his comrades, the path is not  difficult, and they will go to the end. "We will continue this  process because it is part of a greater history, part of a larger  regional development, the goals of which are completely different,"  Karapetyan concluded.

On July 22, it was announced that the Prosecutor General's Office had  initiated a criminal case against Narek Karapetyan. The articles  relate to money laundering and coercion to participate in public  meetings.  As a reminder, on July 21, lawyer Aram Vardevanyan  reported that the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia had  submitted a petition to the Central Election Commission to strip  Narek Karapetyan of his immunity. The lawyer also noted that members  of parliament enjoy additional immunity. He expressed his conviction  that the attempt to strip Narek Karapetyan of his parliamentary  immunity is an act of political absurdity and persecution aimed at  undermining his activities in the Armenian parliament. On July 22,  the Central Election Commission approved the initiation of criminal  proceedings against Narek Karapetyan but rejected the petition to  detain him.