Arthur Khachikyan - Imnemnimi Podcasters Arrested, Freedom of Expression at Risk in Armenia | Ep 485, Nov 14, 2025

Episode Summary

In this Conversations on Groong episode, Dr. Arthur Khachikyan discusses the rapid erosion of free expression in Armenia after the arrest of Imnemnimi podcasters Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan. The conversation traces how a personal insult case against Speaker Alen Simonyan turned into an NSS raid on the AntiFake / Imnemnimi studio, pretrial detention for four staff, and the seizure of all production equipment. Khachikyan places this case in a wider pattern of pressure on journalists, lawyers, priests, and political scientists, and stresses how Western silence and double standards enable this crackdown. The episode ends with a call to Armenian and international audiences to use what remains of their freedom to expose this campaign and defend what is left of Armenia’s democracy.