ARF members` lawyer: Amid ongoing detentions, society should not succumb to fear and stay passive

ArmInfo. In the face of continued  detentions, with lawyers ready  to defend the rights of those who  stand up for national interests, society should not succumb to fear  and stay passive, as stated by Manush Yesayan, a lawyer representing  the detained ARF Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) representatives, during a press  conference on July 14.

She pointed out that the current detentions have a specific goal - to  silence all those who speak out in defense of national values. In her  opinion, this is also an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear.

In turn, lawyer Sergei Harutyunyan expressed his conviction that the  silence following these arrests, including from international  structures, could become a precedent for the final suppression of ARF  activities. This is the dream of not only local authorities, but also  of Azerbaijan and Turkey. He noted that in such conditions, the law  enforcement system could become an even greater instrument of  violence.

Harutyunyan also did not rule out that the arrests of ARF members are  not the last. In his opinion, the current government may have a list  of other people they plan to detain, for example, if they travel  again to Turkey or Azerbaijan.

Additionally, touching on a specific case, Harutyunyan admitted that  one of the detainees did indeed possess a grenade, which was used in  an airsoft game, among other things. However, he emphasized  that  would be absurd to conclude that this indicated  preparation for a  terrorist act. He also highlighted the fact that he himself  legally  owns a weapon and posed a rhetorical question: given the current  circumstances, could this be used as a justification for a future  search in his house. The lawyers also pointed to the selective  application of the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia by the current  government. Specifically, they noted that individuals advocating for  national interests are treated differently under this code. For  example, one of its principles - immediate provision of protection  after detention - was ignored. Lawyers were faced with refusals to  provide meetings with clients under the pretext of discussing this  issue, although the law does not allow such delays. They are sure  that such manipulations are part of the current government's policy,  which has been implementing them  since taking office.