Members of the Armenia faction told European diplomats about the systematic persecution of the opposition in the country.

Arminfo. At the initiative of the “Armenia” faction, a meeting was held in the country’s legislature between opposition lawmakers and representatives of the embassies of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the United States, the EU, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic and Estonia.

According to the press service of the political force, during the meeting, international partners were presented with the systematic political persecution and repression of the opposition in Armenia, including the recent persecution of Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan and his family.

In addition, according to the source, the faction’s members spoke about the deepening crisis of democratic institutions in the country, gross violations of human rights and the unlimited concentration of power in the hands of one person, which has led to the formation of an authoritarian system of governance.

"It was noted that the government has turned the state and law enforcement agencies into an instrument of political retribution, seeking to neutralize opposition leaders in anticipation of future concessions to Azerbaijan," the faction summarized.

It should be recalled that on August 25, National Security Council officers conducted searches at the apartment of opposition “Armenia” faction lawmaker Levon Kocharyan, the son of second president Robert Kocharyan, as well as at companies affiliated with the Kocharyan family.  Robert Kocharyan and Sedrak Kocharyan were then detained and taken to the Anti-Corruption Committee for questioning. However, Robert Kocharyan’s condition, following heart surgery at the beginning of August, sharply deteriorated, and he was hospitalized. On the same day, Robert Kocharyan was charged with money laundering on an especially large scale, abuse of official position and receiving a large bribe. Charges were brought against nine more individuals as part of the case. On August 27, Kocharyan was remanded in custody for two months by a decision of the Anti-Corruption Court.

We would add that the political force of Armenia’s second president links his arrest to an attempt to neutralize one of the opposition’s main representatives against the backdrop of the Armenian authorities’ readiness to make new concessions to Azerbaijan.

Earlier, the leaders of the opposition parties “Mother Armenia,” Andranik Tevanyan, and “Prosperous Armenia,” Gagik Tsarukyan, as well as a number of representatives of the “Strong Armenia” bloc of Samvel Karapetyan and Robert Kocharyan’s “Armenia” bloc, were also detained.