The "Armenia" bloc accused the authorities of attempting to isolate and destroy the opposition
The "Armenia" bloc issued a statement regarding the steps taken by law enforcement agencies against the leader of the alliance, former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, and his family, and accused the authorities of attempting to isolate and destroy the opposition.
"The illegal actions taken against the second president, the leader of the 'Armenia' bloc Robert Kocharyan, and members of his family are yet another cynical manifestation of a regime that has lost its legitimacy and retains its own power exclusively through lawlessness. This is not a legal process — it is the open subordination of the state apparatus to the political fears and thirst for revenge of one individual. The raids by security forces, which followed immediately after the threats voiced from the parliamentary rostrum, prove one thing: the ruling regime, having accepted all external coercion, has set a course toward isolating the opposition and destroying all possible centers of resistance," the statement reads, according to Armenian media.
In this connection, the bloc declares that it is useless to "speak the language of blackmail, illegal proceedings, and fabricated prosecutions" against it, and also that it will continue its struggle against the authorities.
On August 25, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia announced the initiation of a criminal case against Kocharyan; he is charged with abuse of official position, receiving a bribe on an especially large scale, and money laundering. Also figuring in this case is former President Serzh Sargsyan, who was defense minister during Kocharyan's presidency.
Officers of the National Security Service also conducted searches in the apartment of the "Armenia" faction deputy and son of the former president, Levon Kocharyan, and in companies affiliated with the Kocharyan family.
