ArmInfo.The supreme body of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) issued a statement in connection with the extension of the detention period of the deputy chairman of the party, Armen Ashotyan.
The party emphasized that the court hearing on January 8 regarding the extension of the detention period of RPA Deputy Chairman Armen Ashotyan once again turned into a judicial farce and once again clearly showed that he was being subjected to political persecution. "Despite the fact that the legal act confirmed that there is no reasonable suspicion at all of the fact of money laundering - the most serious act of which Ashotyan is accused, and the legal entity recognized as a victim was liquidated before the alleged act attributed to Ashotyan, the Anti-Corruption Court, nevertheless, extended the period of detention of Ashotyan.
The decision to arrest Ashotyan has no legal basis, since there is no evidence of the influence of the fabricated criminal case on the defendants. The court unreasonably rejected the request to release Ashotyan and use alternative methods of arrest in the presence of guarantees from about a dozen authoritative figures," the statement further reads.
The RPA emphasized that with its decision, the court once again proved that it is an obedient instrument of the current government and is ready to continue the illegal practice of detention, repression and punishment for dissent, which has already taken root in Armenia.
"The use of the judicial system to politically persecute opponents of the regime has become a daily occurrence for the Armenian authorities. Armenia is increasingly falling into the arms of authoritarianism, despite the authorities' unsuccessful self-promotion attempts to position itself as a "bastion, an island, a beacon of democracy" in the South Caucasus. Political and public figures defending Armenian identity and national interests are being attacked by the Armenian authorities," the RPA statement further reads.
At the same time, the party believes that today, as before, it remains relevant to ensure broad public mobilization in support of prisoners, because their protection today is public self-defense.
"We confirm once again that we will continue the fight to protect the rights and freedoms of Armen Ashotyan by all means not prohibited by law, both in Armenia and abroad," the RPA summarized.