Reforms to turn Armenia into police state - expert

ArmInfo. Armenia will become a full-fledged police state thanks to the reforms launched in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Political scientist Alen Ghevondyan is of a similar opinion.

"When the Minister of Internal Affairs says that new standards for  the use of force will be introduced in the Republic of Armenia, which  will guide the police, let me say that this will happen. We are  talking about granting/expanding the powers to use harsh, including  lethal force, to the National Guard, which is nothing more than the  so-called personal army of the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia," the expert is sure.

In this vein, he recalled that Armenia has been cooperating with the  United States for many years at all stages of the formation of this  Guard.

"The change in the norm for the use of force will be approximately as  follows: if a police officer/guard makes a demand on a citizen once  in any situation (from everyday life to a political rally), including  during protests, civil actions or, say, a rally, and if the citizen  does not immediately obey for any reason, the guard officer has the  right to immediately use weapons. This is also an American standard,"  he noted.

"At the same time, Armenia will turn into a full-fledged police  state, which the current Prime Minister of Armenia has been moving  towards for years, realizing that none of the external players will  provide him with guarantees of personal security," Ghevondyan added.

The expert recalled that the National Guard will begin to function  fully in September 2025.

He also expressed confidence that if the amendments to the Electoral  Code proposed by the government are adopted, it will be virtually  impossible to change the government in the Republic of Armenia.

"Remember, a person who knows that he is a traitor to the state, a  foreign agent and a servant, will do everything to stay in power for  life. This is very logical and obvious. What the government should  have done to solve this problem many years ago, and, by the way,  could have done, it will no longer be able to do. This will also be a  good reason. By the way, in Armenia it is almost impossible to change  the government through elections, and this is a completely obvious  reality," the expert is sure.

He also believes that the Armenian authorities are interested in a  mass exodus of the Armenian population from the country, and are  doing everything to achieve this. "Fewer people - fewer problems, it  is easier to keep the country under control and there will be less  resistance during the expected influx of Azerbaijanis.  This is  precisely why such living conditions and institutional chaos are  provided, by the way, partly by direct order of foreign states," he  emphasized, drawing attention to the fact that, according to research  by foreign organizations, the threshold of resistance of the Armenian  public has been incredibly reduced thanks to certain efforts.