Group of citizens call on U.S. ambassador to respond to arrests of  hosts of the `Imnimnim` podcast

ArmInfo. Staff from the fact-checking and information website "Antifake" and supporters of the podcast "Imnimnim" gathered outside the US Embassy in Armenia to  protest the country's silence regarding the arrest of opposition  bloggers Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, and to deliver two  letters to US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien. The first letter  was written by Lusine Arakelyan, the wife of Narek Samsonyan, one of  the arrested podcast hosts, and the second by the editorial staff of  the Antifake news agency, detailing the situation and violations that  occurred during the arrest of the podcast hosts and the search of the  website's office.

The protesters thus attempted to draw the attention of the US Embassy  and other international organizations to the protection of freedom of  speech and human rights in Armenia. In her letter, Arakelyan recalled  that this is the second time her husband has been arrested for  exercising his right to free speech. She noted that, in addition to  her husband, the authorities have also arrested other Armenians who  are facing repression for criticizing the current government.  "Criticism of the authorities is now a criminal offense in Armenia;  with arrests, they are trying to create an atmosphere of fear,"  Samsonyan's wife noted in her letter.

Arakelyan also draws the ambassador's attention to the fact that her  husband's arrest occurred in front of their two minor children,  despite the fact that he showed no resistance and was willing to  comply with the orders of the security forces. She also noted that,  in addition to the arrest of her husband and another co- host of the  podcast, Vazgen Saghatelyan, the normal functioning of the Antifake  website was disrupted.

The second letter calls on the US Ambassador to demand the release of  Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, whom they consider political  prisoners, from the Armenian authorities. It also raises the need to  monitor law enforcement actions against the aforementioned online  resource and to support freedom of media and speech in a context  where independent media are being targeted by the authorities.

The Embassy informed the protesters that they do not accept paper  letters, asking them to be sent to the diplomatic mission's email  address.

As a reminder, Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan were detained  on November 13 in Yerevan.  They were then sentenced to two months in  pretrial detention by court order. On the same day, the AntiFake.am  office was searched, and all equipment was seized. The resource's  operations have not yet been restored due to the fact that security  forces have not yet returned their confiscated property. The bloggers  were detained following a complaint from Armenian Parliament Speaker  Alen Simonyan for using obscene language against themselves.