Hayk Mamijanyan - Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia, Vagharshapat, RPA Strategy | Ep 487, Nov 19, 2025 [EP487]
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025 | Category: Armenia, artsakh, political prisoners | Series: cog
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia
- Vagharshapat Municipal Outcomes
- Republican Party Election Strategy
- Stand in Support of Independent Media and Journalism in Armenia
Episode 487 | Recorded: November 18, 2025
Show Notes
Summary
This conversation with opposition leader Hayk Mamijanyan covers the growing pressure on free speech in Armenia, the arrests of prominent podcasters, the wider pattern of attacks on journalists, and concerns about the state of Armenia’s judiciary and law enforcement. We also discuss the Vagharshapat municipal election, reported misuse of administrative resources, the merger of electoral districts, and what these trends may signal for the June 2026 parliamentary elections. Mamijanyan outlines the opposition’s strategy for the impeachment process and its limits, while noting the silence of international actors and the risks facing independent media.
Main Topics Addressed
- Arrests of the Imnemnimi podcast hosts and the NSS raid
- Attacks against 168.am and journalist Satik Seyranyan
- Etchmiadzin podcaster arrest days before municipal elections
- Vagharshapat municipal election results and irregularities
- Use of administrative pressure and district enlargement
- State of the judiciary and case assignments
- The impeachment campaign and political strategy for 2026
- Risks to media freedom and silence of international institutions
Key Questions Discussed
- Why were Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan arrested, and why was the NSS involved?
- What does the seizure of media equipment suggest about the intent of authorities?
- How are fake accounts and AI-generated harassment being used against journalists such as Satik Seyranyan?
- Is the case-assignment system in Armenian courts being manipulated?
- Why do attacks on opposition figures trigger immediate arrests, while attacks on government critics go uninvestigated?
- What irregularities were reported in the Vagharshapat/Etchmiadzin municipal elections?
- Does the district enlargement amount to gerrymandering ahead of 2026?
- Why were parliamentary opposition parties absent from the ballot?
- What are the realistic prospects of impeachment, and what public pressure is needed?
Referenced Articles & Sources
- 168.am homepage
- AntiFake.am website
- AntiFake YouTube Channel
- Azatutyun: Opposition podcasters detained
- OC Media: Armenian opposition podcast hosts detained
- Panorama.am: Equipment seizure
- Etchmiadzin podcaster incident
- Pastinfo: Election reporting
- Karina Karapetyan post (X/Twitter)
- CEC election data
- Aravot coverage of election outcomes
Wrap-up
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Thanks to Laura Osborn for the music on our podcasts.
Guests
Hayk Mamijanyan
Hayk Mamijanyan is the leader of the oppositional Pativ Unem (With Honor) alliance in the Armenian National Assembly, and a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). He’s also a member of the parliamentary group representing Armenia at the PACE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Hosts
Hovik Manucharyan
Hovik Manucharyan is an information security engineer who moved from Seattle to Armenia in 2022. He co-founded the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020 and has been a contributor to Groong News since the late 1990s.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by Hovik Manucharyan on the ANN/Groong podcast are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of his employer or any other organization.
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed Bedrossian is an IT professional, and for years oversaw the central IT enterprise infrastructure and services at USC. His decades of experience spanned across IT strategy, enterprise architecture, infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, data center operations, high performance computing, ITSM, ITPM, and more.
Asbed founded the Armenian News Network Groong circa 1989/1990, and co-founded the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020.