“They used to charge me with overthrowing the constitutional order; now it’s absurd charges”: Ishkhan Saghatelyan

From early morning, law enforcement officers raided the apartment of Ishkhan Saghatelyan, member of the Supreme Body of the ARF and member of the opposition “Armenia” parliamentary faction. They searched his home and personal vehicle.

According to the opposition figure, the authorities have already exhausted all serious legal grounds in their campaign against him. Saghatelyan said that whereas years ago the charges brought against him were serious, the process has now turned into a legal farce.

“Back in the day they would come with proper charges, overthrowing the constitutional order, mass unrest… Now they pin absurd charges. A search is being conducted as part of some criminal proceeding, for some unclear reason involving non-compliance with the requirements of Compulsory Enforcement Service of the Republic of Armenia,” the MP noted.

According to him, the issue concerns unlawful demands by the Service for the Compulsory Enforcement of Judicial Acts, which he challenged in the Administrative Court to defend his rights. However, the prosecutor’s office and investigative bodies acted with lightning speed, launching proceedings within just a few days, even though the correspondence and clarification stage had lasted around three months.

“The most unpleasant part of all this was that the children were home early in the morning. But my family members have already been through all of this,” the MP emphasized.