Political scientist Suren Surenyants on his Facebook pageIt writes:.
"Nikol Pashinyan has recently stated from the tribune of the National Assembly.
"I think that those who make statements against the Armenian sovereignty should be thrown from the political and public field. Like political methods and all methods that are applicable to a democratic country. "
At first glance, these words can be called to protect sovereignty, but in reality they reveal the deep aspiration of power, restrain and silence any dissent.
Immediately after Pashinyan's statement, the Prosecutor General's Office instructed to study the interviews of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, transferring them to the General Department of the Police Criminal Police.
The sequence of these actions is not accidental. The law enforcement system is again used as a tool of political pressure, and the Prime Minister's rhetoric turns into a directive.
Here we are not talking about the rule of law, but about the abuse of power.
Ghukasyan's statements may be controversial or unacceptable, but they do not contain a crime.
In a democratic country, such views should be denied by arguments, not criminal cases.
Otherwise, a dangerous precedent is formed when the government becomes the only criterion to determine who has the right to speak, and who will be silent.
In fact, this story is not about the protection of sovereignty, but a regular stage of the power of the government.
Pashinyan's goal is not to strengthen Armenia, but at all levels, from the state to local self-government, the establishment of full control.
This process deepens the authoritarian trends and weakens democratic institutions.
Political competition is replaced by administrative pressure, and the prosecutor's office and the police are turning into the structures serving the government.
If we are guided by Pashinyan's vicious logic, those who have voted in favor of Armenia's EU membership law, as this decision also implies a partial restriction on sovereignty.
But when it comes to power, the topic of sovereignty is used as an excuse to maintain its own government.
This is a double standard.
When the government is starting to distinguish "permissible" and "unacceptable" opinions, it is no longer democracy, it is a monopoly of power. "
