Lawyer raises concerns with Russia, EU, and U.S. diplomatic missions  regarding politically motivated detentions in Armenia

ArmInfo.Lawyer Zaruhi Postanjyan  has formally brought to the attention of the Russian Ambassador to Armenia, the Head of the European Union Delegation, and the U.S.  Ambassador to Armenia, her concerns regarding the Armenian  government's use of arrest as a tool to suppress socio-political  processes.

In a statement posted on her Facebook page,  Postanjyan asserted that  detention is increasingly being utilized as a means of political  pressure rather than as an exceptional preventive measure. "The  results of the 2026 parliamentary elections are currently being  appealed; however, the incumbent administration, led by Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has already announced the beginning of a  'second attack' on the Gyumri Council of Elders," Postanjyan stated.  She noted that Prime Minister Pashinyan recently reaffirmed his  intention to hold snap elections in Gyumri, declaring: "If necessary,  of course—I have already said that, in my opinion, we should hold  snap elections in Gyumri as soon as possible."

Postanjyan criticized the lack of transparency surrounding these  plans, noting that the Prime Minister has not specified the legal  mechanisms under consideration for dissolving the Council of  Elders—which was legally elected in 2025—nor has he clarified what  timeline is intended by the phrase "as soon as possible."

Following this statement, as the lawyer continued, a new wave of  political persecution and repression began in Gyumri, aimed at  silencing members of the Council of Elders and civil activists. These  actions, she said, are directly related to the authorities' desire to  establish control over the electoral process. "The situation  surrounding the Gyumri Council of Elders and the authorities'  ambitions to dissolve it contain serious legal and political  contradictions," Postanjyan stated.

She then presented evidence of the lack of legal grounds, as well as  political pressure and "managed" arrests. The lawyer recalled that  Armenian law provides clearly defined grounds for dissolving the  Council of Elders, the main one being the convening of fewer than  three meetings during a single session.

"Since the Gyumri Council of Elders, despite numerous obstacles,  continues to convene meetings, there are no legal grounds for its  dissolution. The authorities' demand to hold elections 'as soon as  possible' is legally unfounded, as the current Council of Elders is  fully exercising its legislative powers. An analysis of the situation  shows that the arrests and house arrests of members of the Gyumri  Council of Elders faction are aimed at disrupting quorum mechanisms.  The authorities' statements about the need to dissolve the Gyumri  Council of Elders, made without a clear legal basis, are considered a  political vendetta. Since the Council of Elders provides a quorum  (the required 18 seats), any attempt to dissolve it outside the law  should be qualified as a gross violation of the constitutional rights  of local government bodies," the lawyer emphasized.

According to Postanjyan, all of this—including the arrest of Gyumri  Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and others—has one goal: to create a legal  vacuum and artificially force early elections favorable to the  authorities. "Of particular concern is the fact that, according to  publicly available information, approximately 300 people have been  deprived of their freedom and detained in connection with the 2026  elections in Armenia. The progress of these individuals' cases  remains uncertain, and information is opaque, which seriously  violates the right to a fair trial and access to effective remedies,"  the lawyer noted.

She also noted that conditions in penal institutions do not meet  minimum international standards. As the lawyer noted, cells are  overcrowded, ventilation and adequate lighting are lacking, and poor  sanitary and hygienic conditions make daily life unbearable for  prisoners. "In this regard, I consider it necessary to refer to the  standards of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture,  which has repeatedly recorded that inhumane and degrading conditions  in Armenian prisons, associated with overcrowding and poor living  standards, require urgent legislative and administrative action by  the state," the lawyer said.

In light of the above, Postanjyan demanded monitoring of the  conditions of detention in Armenia and the legality of pretrial  detention. She also called for the Armenian authorities to provide  public and transparent statistics on the progress of the cases of  approximately 300 individuals arrested in connection with the  election processes, as well as on persecution related to the  situation surrounding the Gyumri Council of Elders. "I urge you,  within your authority, to raise this issue in dialogue with the  Armenian government, demanding that detention conditions be brought  into line with CPT standards. And finally, to support reforms of the  judicial system in Armenia aimed at strengthening judicial oversight  over the use of arrests," Postanjyan concluded.