There is an obvious  democratic regression in Armenia - oppositionist

ArmInfo.  Armenia has clearly shown signs of regression in promoting democratic values, as stated by Seyran Ohanyan, former RA Defense Minister and leader of the opposition "Armenia" faction during parliamentary hearings on November 26 on the draft statement of the National Assembly "On Political Prisoners in the Republic of Armenia and the Restoration of  Their Violated Rights."  The event was initiated by the opposition  "Armenia" faction.

According to him, this is manifested in gross violations and  suppression of freedom of speech, conscience, and rallies, pressure  on the media, and falsified criminal cases against dissident citizens  and political figures. The country applies selective law, manifested  in unfair court decisions and an unprecedented number of political  prisoners. "Today, the Armenian government is openly carrying out  political persecution, score-settling, and harassment. These actions  are aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear in the country and  maintaining power at any cost, which will ultimately lead to the  weakening of Armenia's position as a state governed by the rule of  law and the final overthrow of the constitutional order," Seyran  Ohanyan noted.

In turn, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, representative of the ARF  Dashnaktsutyun Supreme Body and member of parliament from the  opposition "Armenia" bloc, noted that Armenia's Prosecutor General  Anna Vardapetyan agreed to participate in hearings initiated by the  ruling Civil Contract party, where the "March 1" case was discussed.  However, she declined to take part in discussions concerning  political prisoners. He stated that the refusal was due to a lack of  strong and substantiated counterarguments.  "She simply has no  answers regarding the illegal actions often carried out either with  the direct involvement of the Prosecutor General's Office or by the  Prosecutor General's Office itself," Saghatelyan said.

He also described the discussion of the "March 1" case as a  pre-planned political show. The parliamentarian also reported that  the organizers of the event had invited representatives of embassies  and diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, as well as various  international organizations and institutions, to the discussion. "We  would like to express our gratitude to all those who decided to  attend. However, we must also note that many of our international  partners simply chose not to be present in this room. Apparently,  they do not want to hear or learn about the real state of affairs in  Armenia regarding democracy," the opposition figure emphasized.