Ashotyan says Armenia slides toward authoritarianism

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armen Ashotyan, vice chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), said in a Facebook live broadcast that Armenia is being presented as a democratic country, while in his view the reality is the opposite — “Armenia is becoming one of the most authoritarian states in the Council of Europe.”

He criticized Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s speeches at international platforms.

“So, it turns out Armenia is such a democratic state that Ararat Mirzoyan, seated in the post of foreign minister, still has the audacity to deliver speeches and make grand statements at UN human rights organizations about a country where there are dozens of political prisoners, where there is not a single fundamental right or freedom that is not being violated, where elections have started to be falsified 4–5 months before voting day,” Ashotyan said, according to Panorama.am .

He noted that Mirzoyan refers to Freedom House’s 2025 report, allegedly distorting its content and misleading both Armenian society and the international community.

According to Ashotyan, the same report states that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has “low legitimacy and a low level of sovereignty, the fight against corruption has not been effective, corruption within the authorities is a fact, and the education system is highly politicized.”

The RPA vice chairman also claimed that the judicial system is in a disgraceful state, which, in his words, is likewise reflected in the Freedom House report.

“While briefly mentioning our 19 compatriots, he did not have the courage to speak more firmly and demand their release,” Ashotyan said.

Addressing the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, he argued that the current authorities are weakening efforts in that direction.

“In 2015, at the initiative of Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia introduced into the UN calendar the concept of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, yet in recent years the Armenian Foreign Ministry has not even issued statements on it. In reality, Armenia is becoming one of the most authoritarian states in the Council of Europe, and it is not surprising that they and Aliyev together sing ‘Jan Gyulum’ on international platforms, and that Nikol and Aliyev are the most repulsive dictators in the Council of Europe,” Ashotyan said.

Ararat Mirzoyan is in Geneva to participate in the high-level segments of the UN Human Rights Council and the Conference on Disarmament, where he is also scheduled to deliver speeches.