RPA Deputy Chairman: Travel ban on Armenia`s third president is due  to an attempt to conceal the real situation in the country from  outside observers

ArmInfo.  One of the reasons for the travel ban on Armenia's third president, Serzh Sargsyan, may be the authorities' desire to prevent him from  presenting the country's true situation  abroad. Armen Ashotyan,  Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), stated this  live on his Facebook page.

In this regard, he recalled that on November 5, the third president  of Armenia was summoned to the Anti- Corruption Court three times in  a row. Ashotyan noted that this is an unprecedented case in the  history of Armenia's judicial system. Specifically, he clarified that  the court was considering a petition from the Prosecutor General's  Office alleging that the third president is planning to leave the  country with no intention to return. "This attempt was made with the  aim of changing Sargsyan's pretrial detention and reinstating the  previously lifted travel ban," Ashotyan asserted.

He expressed conviction that Armenian authorities were interested in  this, as the judge summoned to the hearing was attending a funeral  ceremony for a relative. "However, the charges proved to be unfounded  and yesterday, Serzh Sargsyan was able to defend his rights, and no  decision was  made. Today, a new attempt was made to ban the third  president from leaving the country. In connection with this, new  charges were presented at one of the offices of the Investigative  Committee of Armenia. As a result, Serzh Sargsyan was banned from  leaving the country for an incident that occurred in 2019," he noted.

The RPA deputy chairman believes this is yet another political  sanction against the third president. He clarified that the charges  are based on an incorrect translation of testimony from a criminal  case initiated six years ago. "Nevertheless, six years later, the  president was summoned to court again for this episode, which had no  criminal basis, with the intention of preventing him from traveling  abroad," Ashotyan emphasized.

In this regard, he recalled that, due to this restriction, the third  president was previously unable to attend three meetings of the  European People's Party (EPP), including other important events. "The  decision to ban the third president from traveling is connected to  the authorities' desire to prevent him from presenting the country's  true situation abroad. Because there is a distorted view of what is  happening in the country abroad. Therefore, this decision is the  result of both personal and political motives, which indicates  political persecution and the use of a repressive mechanism being  applied not only against Serzh Sargsyan but also against other  opposition figures," Ashotyan concluded.