Mourad Papazian: I expect the court to force the authorities to justify the ban on my entry

I hope that at the session, which will be held on Monday, August 21th, at 3:00 p.m. (Armenian time), Administrative Court will demand a clear response from the RA National Security Service regarding the ban on my entry to Armenia. There are different official versions that have been contradicting each other for more than a year. It was even declared as “classified information”. Now it is time to reveal the true motives that prompted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to take these steps. And I am not the only one.

A few days after the ban on my entry, Syune and Masis Abrahamyan suffered the same fate, and a few months later, the same happened to Nzhdeh Garakavoryan, Aslan Aslanyan and Areni Markosyan. All of them are members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun.

Thus, fundamental principles of law and democracy have been violated. Nikol Pashinyan, who has come to power waving the flags of freedom and democracy, violates them at every step.

My 40 years of service as a defender of Armenia, Artsakh and Hay Dat is based on deep convictions. Regardless of everything, I will continue my struggle defending Armenia and Artsakh on all possible platforms. It is for the sake of security and independence of the people of Artsakh and Armenia that we must continue our struggle. Governments come and go, but the people stay. Armenia is not Nikol Pashinyan’s private property. The rule of law has its own regulations, which Pashinyan has violated. We expect that the court will oblige the authorities to reveal the reasons for the ban on my entry.

The court session, which will be held on Monday, August 21th, at 3:00 p.m., will play a significant part in defining the democratic level of Armenia. My determination is strong, and if the administrative court shows inability to resolve this issue, I am going to file a lawsuit against the Armenian government in the European Court of Human Rights. Paris, August 21, 2023