‘My friends and I were detained for six months on fabricated charges’ – Gerasim Vardanyan

Gerasim Vardanyan, Member of the Supreme Body of the ARF-D, announced that the Venice Commission has issued its opinion confirming the absence of any criminal offense on his part.

“Finally, the Venice Commission has released its conclusion stating that there is no criminal offense and that the provision should be decriminalized, based on the Constitutional Court’s referral regarding Part 2 of Article 236 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (‘materially incentivise’ either participation in or refraining from participation in an assembly)

Let me remind you that the charge against me under this article was yet another act of political persecution. As a result, during last year’s ‘Sacred Movement’ protests, I and more than a dozen of my colleagues from the leadership of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun in Vayots Dzor were imprisoned based on false and fabricated records.

In essence, the Venice Commission’s conclusion states that in 2024, my friends and I were detained for approximately six months on charges that do not constitute a criminal offense and should soon be decriminalized according to the Commission’s findings.

Out of 13 criminal cases, I have been acquitted or the cases have been dropped in 11, and logically, the twelfth case should also be dismissed.

While I do not rule out the possibility that during future political events there may be another attempt to isolate me through fabricated charges, I want to document the ongoing criminal-political persecution against me and my friends in our struggle. However vile and pathetic these actions may be in their nature and manifestations, for us, it is an honor.

P.S. For me, without Armenia, Artsakh, and the freedom of the Armenian people, everything is a prison. Persecution and imprisonment are the path of a dignified person toward achieving that freedom,” he said.