Hayastan Bloc: The arrest of Aregnaz Manukyan is a political order,  not an act of justice

ArmInfo. The arrest of Aregnaz Manukyan, a member of the "Mother Armenia" party's political council and former member of the Armenian parliament, is the harshest preventive measure – represents a politically motivated order rather than the impartial administration of justice.This is what Agnessa Khamoyan, a member of the Armenian parliament from the opposition Hayastan (Armenia) faction, writes.

 "Yesterday, we were in the courthouse courtyard with Anna Grigoryan  and Kristina Vardanyan, while inside the courthouse, a closed-door  hearing was held to determine pretrial measures for our former  colleague, MP Aregnaz Manukyan,  The hearing lasted only an hour and  a half. While it was clear that an arrest was likely, we held onto a  faint hope that her status as the sole caregiver for a minor child  would deter the judge from imposing the most extreme measure.  Instead, it became evident the decision had been predetermined; the  judge granted the investigator's motion in full."

Khamoyan emphasized that the arrest was unnecessary, noting that a  search of Manukyan's residence had occurred weeks prior (on June 12).  Furthermore, Manukyan had been aware of the pending investigation for  months and had made no attempt to evade authorities. "This confirms  that the decision to remand her in custody is a political directive,  not a judicial necessity," she argued.

 "But the most absurd thing wasn't even that: the judge's deprivation  of an opposition politician of the opportunity to even see her own  child was an act of petty revenge and malice. Aregnaz's visits are  completely banned. This is Nikol Pashinyan's signal to all female  opposition members: I will strike at your weakest point—your  children. There is nothing more terrible for a woman than not seeing  her child However, I am certain Aregnaz will endure this ordeal with  dignity, as have many others. Pashinyan's calculations are flawed;  mothers do not become submissive when their children are  targeted—they become resilient.  Remember this well," the opposition  MP added.

Khamoyan added that she has known Aregnaz Manukyan since her days as  a journalist and can confidently say that she is a principled,  persistent, and strong person who does not betray her convictions.  "We express our full support to her family and will do everything  possible to change the preventive measure," the opposition leader  concluded.

Recall, according to the Investigative Committee, criminal  proceedings have been initiated against Aregnaz Manukyan under  Article 427, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (disclosure of state  secrets). This investigation is linked to a broader espionage and  treason case that led to the earlier arrest of "Mother Armenia" party  leader Andranik Tevanyan. Authorities allege that Manukyan  transmitted classified data regarding the Armenian Armed  Forces—disclosed during a closed parliamentary session—to Tevanyan.  On July 9, the court ordered that Manukyan be held in pretrial  detention for two months.