“My father’s arrest is an attempt to please Aliyev”: Levon Kocharyan

Actions against opposition leaders are manifestations of political persecution, and their legal justifications do not change the political nature of the situation. This was stated to journalists by Levon Kocharyan, MP from the “Armenia” faction, during a briefing at the National Assembly.

“There can be no second opinion here, no matter how they try to give it legal explanations. If we look at the chain of these actions against the leaders of the main opposition forces, this is not a coincidence. In this way, an attempt is being made to weaken the leaders of the potentially largest opposition forces,” the MP said.

According to him, one of the goals of these actions may be to reduce possible resistance to the authorities’ upcoming political steps, including in the context of constitutional amendments and further concessions.

“My father’s arrest is an attempt to please the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. All the presidents of the Republic of Artsakh are effectively imprisoned today: three in Azerbaijan, one in Armenia,” Kocharyan noted.