Arrest of the leader of the "Strong Armenia" list and an administrative resource: Robert Amsterdam called for an investigation into the elections in Armenia International human rights activist Robert Amsterdam referred to the elections for local authorities held yesterday in Armenia. "The picture of the elections in Armenia on October 25 should not give reason for joy to anyone who cares about the future of democracy. In many communities, even half of the voters did not participate in the voting. The authorities must ask themselves the question: Why do so many citizens refuse to participate in the elections? Ignoring this fact and presenting the results as a measure of your citizen's trust is not universal. And reports of voter manipulation, pressure and use of government resources for partisan interests require an independent investigation. Such actions undermine the foundations of free choice and equal competition: a citizen should be able to choose without fear, and the opposition should be able to compete without using the state apparatus against them. The arrest of Arsen Gaborjain, who headed the list of the powerful Armenia Party in Stephanov, first required a convincing legal justification. The authorities were required to justify both the need for arrest and the impossibility of using a more lenient preventive measure. A criminal indictment does not yet constitute proof of guilt and therefore could not justify the actual removal of a candidate from the electoral system. Pashinyan cannot limit political competition with one hand, present the results achieved as a result of this limitation as a democratic success with the other hand, and then find fault with everyone but himself. This is not a story of victory. This is a consequence of the political and electoral conditions created by Pashinyan, and he himself bears responsibility for this," the lawyer wrote. Subscribe to Alpha News VK Zen Website TikTok Facebook Instagram YouTube X.

Arrest of the leader of the "Strong Armenia" list and an administrative resource: Robert Amsterdam called for an investigation into the elections in Armenia International human rights activist Robert Amsterdam referred to the elections for local authorities held yesterday in Armenia. "The picture of the elections in Armenia on October 25 should not give reason for joy to anyone who cares about the future of democracy. In many communities, even half of the voters did not participate in the voting. The authorities must ask themselves the question: Why do so many citizens refuse to participate in the elections? Ignoring this fact and presenting the results as a measure of your citizen's trust is not universal. And reports of voter manipulation, pressure and use of government resources for partisan interests require an independent investigation. Such actions undermine the foundations of free choice and equal competition: a citizen should be able to choose without fear, and the opposition should be able to compete without using the state apparatus against them. The arrest of Arsen Gaborjain, who headed the list of the powerful Armenia Party in Stephanov, first required a convincing legal justification. The authorities were required to justify both the need for arrest and the impossibility of using a more lenient preventive measure. A criminal indictment does not yet constitute proof of guilt and therefore could not justify the actual removal of a candidate from the electoral system. Pashinyan cannot limit political competition with one hand, present the results achieved as a result of this limitation as a democratic success with the other hand, and then find fault with everyone but himself. This is not a story of victory. This is a consequence of the political and electoral conditions created by Pashinyan, and he himself bears responsibility for this," the lawyer wrote. Subscribe to Alpha News VK Zen Website TikTok Facebook Instagram YouTube X.