Law on political pressure prior to NA elections 

ArmInfo.Ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2026, the Republic of Armenia is witnessing alarming signs of a complete collapse of the  legal system and the use of justice as a political tool, according to lawyer Zaruhi Postanjyan.

The lawyer emphasized that the pre-election rhetoric of Nikol  Pashinyan, the chief executive, and the subsequent coordinated  actions of law enforcement agencies indicate a targeted campaign to  eliminate political opponents from the race.

According to her, the political intent of the law enforcement  agencies' actions is evident from the chronology of the prime  minister's public statements and the subsequent "operational"  responses to them.  According to Postanjyan, when the chief  executive, citing "operational information," hints at possible  criminal activity by key figures on the opposition list during a  rally, the Investigative Committee immediately issues a corresponding  statement.

"This practice grossly violates the presumption of innocence, since  instead of using neutral legal terminology, investigative bodies are  making biased, affirmative accusations, calling individuals 'spies'  or 'traitors.' From the perspective of the ECHR's case law (in  particular, the case of Allenet de Ribemont v.  France) and the  Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, this is a vicious practice  of shaping public opinion and deliberately discrediting a person's  reputation," the lawyer wrote in her Facebook post.

The lawyer further emphasized that the statements published by the  Investigative Committee contradict irrefutable facts. In particular,  the information circulated about Andranik Tevanyan, the leader of the  Mother Armenia party, regarding the transfer of materials from a  closed, secret session of the National Assembly in April 2024, is  completely baseless, as the latter already renounced his  parliamentary mandate in September 2023.

"He was physically unable to participate in such a meeting, let alone  legally permitted to access materials containing state secrets.  Equally absurd is the claim of $622,000 allegedly paid for  'espionage,' which is presented without any substantiated financial  evidence and is purely emotional, propaganda-driven manipulation.  Meanwhile, the mass and demonstrative searches of the apartments of  opposition figures and their supporters reveal the authorities' true  motives," the lawyer added.

She emphasized that all these actions, devoid of legal necessity,  pursue only one goal: to spread an atmosphere of fear and moral and  psychological pressure among the public and political participants,  restrict citizens' freedom of expression, and suppress resistance  before the elections.

Postanjyan also noted that political persecution simultaneously  extended to the economic realm, as evidenced by the attempt to  establish state control over the Ararat Cement Plant and appoint an  interim manager immediately after the Prime Minister's public  threats. This demonstrates the use of legal procedures to disseminate  compromising materials and as a tool of political blackmail.

"The illegal nature of the situation is also underscored by public  threats against the families of opposition figures, including their  children, which is evidence of the absolute decline of political  culture and ethics.  The absence of a legally binding court decision  predetermining the fate of private property included in the election  platform, with the assertion that 'by 2031, Gagik Tsarukyan's house  must become a nursing home,' demonstrates that the executive branch  has reserved for itself the functions of investigator, prosecutor,  and judge. All this, just two weeks before the elections, testifies  not to the power of the current government, but to systemic fear and  the awareness of its own political demise. Sacrificing legal  procedures for electoral tactical advantages deals a serious blow to  the democratic institutions of the Republic of Armenia," the lawyer  added.

On the night of May 24, Andranik Tevanyan, number two on the  Prosperous Armenia party list for the upcoming June elections, was  arrested for two months on charges of treason. Moreover, according to  Tevanyan's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, there were no legal grounds for his  client's arrest. It should be added that the opposition leader's  detention occurred on the direct orders of current Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan.