Category: Politics

Armenia’s hate speech laws, meant to protect minorities, are being weaponized to criminalize political criticism of Pashinyan, with courts treating his political conduct as a protected characteristic.

Pashinyan’s Deputy Chief of Staff admits the government is summoning diaspora Armenians arriving from Russia to 25-day military training camps to punish suspected opposition voters.

Law enforcement in Armenia rapidly leaks opposition wiretaps during the election campaign while ignoring reports of government-side abuse and patronage, creating a stark double standard.

In this Spotlight on Silence episode, we speak with Rafael Ishkhanyan of the Armenian Center for Political Rights about selective justice and state pressure ahead of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election. We discuss wiretaps and leaks targeting opposition figures, abuse of hate speech laws against government critics, military service summons used as political coercion, and Pashinyan’s threats against political opponents and Artsakh Armenians.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dr. Philippe Raffi Kalfayan about Armenia’s deteriorating democratic conditions ahead of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election. We discuss IODA’s second election observation mission, widespread arrests of opposition figures, state intimidation of voters, selective prosecution, and the serious threats to electoral legitimacy and civil rights under the Civil Contract regime.