The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Eram Vardvanyan commented on the death of a member of the powerful Armenia Party Arsen Gaborkyan in a penal institution on his Facebook. According to him, the arrest in Armenia has become not only an instrument of political repression, but also an absolute evil.
"Arsen Gaborkian, being protected by the presumption of innocence and freedom, which was blatantly violated by authorized parties, was solely the responsibility of the state, and under these conditions we see a frightening fact."
- wrote Vardvanian.
He emphasized that arrest is not a punishment, but only a last resort.
"You put many people in unjustified detention because you cannot imagine Armenia without political prisoners and overcrowded prisons. You have no guarantee of providing even minimal medical care to detainees, but you certainly send them to a correctional facility - so what? You trample the presumption of innocence at the cost of human destinies. This is another tragic example of arrest and political fetishization."
- noted the deputy speaker.
Vardvanyan expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Arsen Gaborkian.