Samvel Karapetyan, clergyman Mikael Ajapahyan political prisoners 

ArmInfo. Samvel Karapetyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapayan are political prisoners according to the criteria set out in the PACE resolution. Edmon Marukyan, leader of the Bright Armenia party, wrote this on his Telegram page.

According to him, Resolution 1900, adopted by PACE in 2012, clearly  defines who can be considered a political prisoner.

According to these five criteria, a person is a political prisoner if  their detention was carried out in violation of freedom of speech,  opinion, or assembly, their detention or arrest was carried out  solely for political reasons, or as a result of a disproportionate,  discriminatory, or unfair trial.

"I present these criteria: a) if the detention was carried out in  violation of any of the fundamental guarantees enshrined in the  European Convention on Human Rights and the protocols thereto, in  particular the guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience and  religion, freedom of expression and information, freedom of assembly  and association.

b) if the detention was carried out solely for political reasons,  without connection to any crime.

c) if the term or conditions of detention for politically motivated  reasons are clearly disproportionate to the act for which the person  was recognized as a suspect or accused.

d) if the person was detained for politically motivated reasons in a  discriminatory manner compared to other individuals.

d) if the detention is the result of a manifestly unfair procedure,  which is related to the political motives of the authorities.

Based on these criteria, it is clear that in the case of Samvel  Karapetyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapazyan, we are dealing with the  very fact of political persecution. They are being persecuted not for  any crimes, but for the opinions they have expressed, the interviews  they have given, and the views they have expressed.

The hasty sentencing of Archbishop Michael to two years in prison, as  well as the unlawful prosecution and arrest of Samvel Karapetyan,  highlight the dangerous situation in Armenia, where voices opposing  government policies are silenced and the values of human rights,  democracy, and the rule of law are trampled. In light of these facts,  it can be unequivocally stated that these cases are clear evidence of  democratic regression and a flagrant violation of freedom of speech,"  the politician believes.