Surenyants on the arrest of a 55-year-old woman for a fake Facebook  post: Criminalizing freedom of expression before elections is a  manifestation of the authorities` fear of their own people

ArmInfo.Criminalizing freedom of expression during the pre-election period is not a  manifestation of power, but rather a reflection of the government's political incompetence and its fear of its own society, as stated  by political scientist Suren Surenyants, leader of the Democratic Alternative party in a Facebook post. He was referring to the one-month arrest of a 55-year-old woman from Akhuryan on charges of allegedly "inciting violence".

The woman reportedly approached the police herself to identify the  author of a fake post made under her name. The post in question  contained a "call to violence" directed at Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan.  However, instead of receiving assistance, the woman was  arrested upon her arrival at the station and brought before a court  in handcuffs. She has been sentenced to one month of detention.

The politician noted that this once again demonstrates a dangerous  trend that is deepening in Armenia: the criminalization of freedom of  speech as a state practice. As Surenyants noted, the problem lies not  in the specific wording or legal subtleties of the case, but in the  fact that this is an expressed opinion, not an action.

"In a state that observes the rule of law, a post on a public  platform that is not accompanied by instructions or actions cannot be  grounds for deprivation of liberty," Surenyants stated. Otherwise,  criminal law ceases to serve justice and turns into a tool for  political revenge. Moreover, the case is based on a screenshot of a  private letter and, according to the detainee, on a fake page. This  makes the situation even more problematic," Surenyants said.

The choice of detention, according to the politician, deserves  special attention. He noted that bringing a 55- year-old socially  vulnerable woman, who poses no danger to society, to trial in  handcuffs does not comply with the principles of proportionality or  necessity. Surenyants expressed his conviction that this is a  demonstrative punishment, aimed not at a specific individual, but at  society as a whole.  He  warned that protecting high-ranking  officials from criticism effectively turns free speech from a  constitutional right into a "conditional privilege." He suggests that  such tactics are common when a government loses confidence in its  public support and resorts to intimidation to force self-censorship.

"The message is clear: any citizen could find themselves in this  situation. Such actions do not strengthen state security. On the  contrary, they consistently undermine the foundations of the rule of  law. A citizen who understands that they can be deprived of their  freedom not for an action, but for an expressed thought, ceases to  perceive the state as an institution that protects them.  Criminalizing free speech during an election period is not an  exercise of power. It is an expression of the government's political  incompetence and its fear of its own society," Surenyants concluded.