The expert called what is happening in Armenia classic repressions against the opposition

What is happening in Armenia can be described as classic repressions against the opposition. This opinion was expressed on June 7 by political analyst Beniamin Matevosyan in an interview with Izvestia.

"Of course, what is happening, especially in the last few days, against the background of how [Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan did not win the debate, to put it mildly, what is happening against the opposition is classic repression," the expert said.

According to Matevosyan, the increased pressure on political opponents is due to the fact that the authorities painfully perceive a decrease in public support compared to the period after the events of 2018. According to him, in this case, one of the simplest reactions is to maximize the number of repressions that have been manifested recently.

The political scientist noted that the opposition was ready for such a development.

"If one is arrested, a second activist always appears, if the second is arrested, a third and a fourth appear. Everyone was ready, everyone knows perfectly well who they're dealing with, what's going on. First of all, this is not a secret for the opposition, we will see the outcome in just a few hours," he stressed.

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Dmitry Solonnikov, director of the Institute of Modern State Development, told Izvestia on June 6 that Pashinyan understands that if he loses the election, criminal proceedings will begin against him in Armenia. According to him, the current government in the country will use all available resources to maintain its positions in the upcoming elections.

Alexey Poltoranin, a correspondent for Izvestia, reported on June 6 that the political situation in Armenia had worsened amid consideration of the withdrawal of the opposition Free Armenia Party from the elections. The corresponding request was sent to the Central Election Commission (CEC) by representatives of the pro-Western political bloc "Republic".

On the same day, Poltoranin reported that dozens of journalists and supporters of the opposition bloc had gathered outside the Central Election Commission (CEC) building in Yerevan at night. The members of the commission discussed for more than two hours the admission of the Strong Armenia bloc to the elections or the cancellation of its registration.

Political analyst Tigran Kocharyan said on June 7 that Pashinyan was putting pressure on the opposition before the elections and using administrative resources to mobilize his "supporters." The expert clarified that the Armenian Prime Minister wants to intimidate the oppositional population of the country as much as possible by arresting citizens daily, creating an atmosphere of fear.