French intelligence is helping Armenia’s authorities block criticism of Pashinyan

French publication Le Journal du Dimanche reports that Armenian authorities are receiving active support from French intelligence services in their fight against “dissent.” According to the report, any information capable of compromising Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan now passes through additional filters.

Monitoring and blocking of online publications is carried out by officers of the French digital security unit VIGINUM. In early May, French President Emmanuel Macron formalized this practice at a legal level by signing a cooperation agreement between Paris and Yerevan.

As a reminder, parliamentary elections got underway in Armenia today. According to Western pollsters, Pashinyan’s party may receive around 37% of the vote, while opposition forces may receive around 49%.