“Just a few months ago, in the elections in two communities, non-government representatives won. One — in Parakar, Volodya Grigoryan, who was killed, the other — in Gyumri, Vardan Gukasian. The full disclosure of the Parakar case has not yet occurred, and I assert this, even if the Investigative Committee claims the perpetrator has been found,” said MP Anna Grigoryan, commenting on the recent arrests and political developments.
Grigoryan emphasized that the actions against Gyumri Mayor Vardan Gukasian have a political context: “The process is not yet complete. We do not know whether he has been arrested or detained, but it is obvious that the process is moving in that direction. This is political retribution, aimed at isolating all those who have any influence and hold an opposition position.”
The MP noted that these actions affect not only mayors or politicians but also clergy and lawyers, who can influence society through their words or activities: “It is completely clear that the authorities do not tolerate opposition — whether it is a mayor or a clergyman, even if they do not have a political stance, but merely a civic one.”
She also highlighted the pressure on the church: “The problem is not only individual people; the problem is the institution — the church. Authorities are trying to weaken and subjugate it so that it cannot express an independent position, even on international platforms.”
Grigoryan stressed that the authorities are trying to neutralize all those who can exert influence during the pre-election period: “This is not only the logic of the pre-election period but also an obvious political goal. They try to isolate everyone so that the opposition has no possibility to influence.”
The MP noted that this is not the first case: similar repressions have occurred in other communities — in the cases against Michael and Bagrat Saints, as well as the arrests of Samvel Karapetyan and others: “The more they intensify the repressions, the stronger the public resistance will be.”
Anna Grigoryan also addressed the unresolved issues of the 44-day war and the October 20 elections: “The authorities preferred not to discuss the report so that the ‘peace agenda’ would be maintained before the elections, and no questions would arise that could reveal their criminal activity.”
The MP stressed that these actions show how afraid the current authorities are of losing their positions: “They want to maintain control by force, but the more they try to isolate the opposition by force, the stronger the resistance from the people and the opposition will be.”