Freedom of Speech Under Prosecutorial Microscope: Prime Minister's Order

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports: "On October 1 of this year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement regarding Gyumri's Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan did not go unnoticed. The Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an inquiry.

Recall that he literally said from the podium: 'I believe that we should simply throw out of the political and public space those who make statements against the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia. We must do this through political methods and all the methods that can be applied in a democratic country. I am convinced that this will happen.' These words from the Prime Minister followed an interview where Vardan Ghukasyan, in his own style, mentioned that Armenia should enter a union to ensure its security.

Later, he clarified that all countries, including large and developed ones, should be part of some union—NATO, the EU, or the CSTO.

However, this political discussion took a legal turn. It became known yesterday that the Prosecutor's Office has begun to examine Vardan Ghukasyan's statements published in the media. The General Prosecutor's Office announced that the materials have been sent to the Investigative Committee for legal assessment.

Thus, freedom of speech is once again at the center of legal processes. If the proceedings turn into a criminal case, this will be yet another instance where individuals face criminal prosecution for expressing political opinions.

Let us recall that similar stories have already involved Samvel Karapetyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan due to their public statements.

It seems that the Prosecutor's Office is trying to define the boundaries of freedom of speech not by law but by the Prime Minister's directives. And day by day, expressing an opinion in our country is becoming a criminally prosecutable act."

Details in the source.