Opposition leader: Armenia cannot be safe under Pashinyan’s rule

Armenia’s security and safety cannot be ensured so long as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stays in power, claims Hayk Mamijanyan, the leader of the opposition Pativ Unem faction in the Armenian parliament.

His comments came after four Armenian soldiers were killed and another wounded by Azerbaijani fire in Syunik Province early on Tuesday.

“In a country facing such grave security challenges, they [the authorities] are engaged in fabricating charges against political prisoners instead of dealing with those issues,” Mamijanyan told reporters outside the Yerevan Criminal Court in the Kentron district where he had visited to express support for jailed opposition activist Narek Malyan.

“As long as Pashinyan remains in power, Armenia cannot be safe and secure,” he stated.

The MP accused the Armenian authorities of ordering the detention of their critics, calling for the release of Malyan and opposition politician Armen Ashotyan.