The "Past" newspaper writes: Yesterday began with a massive "raid" by the ruling Republican Party’s repressive bodies on the homes of Samvel Karapetyan, leader of "Strong Armenia," Narek Karapetyan, head of the "Strong Armenia" faction in the National Assembly, as well as more than 60 other addresses related to the Karapetyans:
Formally, it was announced as a search and then some long "fairy tale" was published, supposedly related to HETC, but everyone knows what is really going on. Incidentally, an interesting question is what the authorities and their repressive body leaders intended to find in the villas of Samvel Karapetyan, who has been politically persecuted for almost a year and a half, arrested, and then placed under house arrest, or his nephew. People who have been pursued for more than a year in an openly hostile and obviously political manner—searches are conducted in their repeatedly searched homes... new processes are being "cooked up."
In addition, this raises serious questions about the logic, sanity, and professional suitability of the officials authorizing these searches. All of this and other operations carried out during the day yesterday can hardly be described other than as consistent intimidation, abuse of power, and exceeding official authority. And the persecuted have no illusions—they clearly understand what this latest repressive outbreak by the Pashinyan government is about. Narek Karapetyan, leader of the "Strong Armenia" faction, put it very plainly: Pashinyan is now trying to convince us to vote "yes" in the Constitutional referendum. Literally: "Remember when he announced that he would try to persuade the opposition to support holding the Constitutional referendum, he is convincing and intimidating:... They took the children's game computer and several other game items. During the search, the children were at home, the younger one was at home. The children are already used to them coming often. This is Pashinyan's process of persuasion so that we let him hold Aliyev's constitutional referendum," he said. But even without Narek Karapetyan’s characterization, it is clear what goal(s) Pashinyan is pursuing.
He urgently needs to establish an atmosphere of fear and terror in the country, physically suppress the opposition, arrest and imprison them, conduct searches and similar attacks daily so that... they vote in favor of constitutional amendments, comply with Aliyev’s humiliating demands. The fact that Pashinyan said he would apply "public pressure" is largely a manifestation of this. One could say it is a prelude. Simply put, the only "public" Pashinyan has left are the security forces. And that’s it. According to experienced lawyer and Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Aram Vardevanyan, there is no need to look for legality in the investigative actions conducted at the homes of the “Strong Armenia” party leaders: "What is being done is exclusively within the framework of a political order, political task, political command.
There is no legality here." It is hard not to agree also with Levon Kocharyan, MP of the "Armenia" faction: "What is happening now around 'Strong Armenia' has no connection whatsoever to law, legality, and democracy. Aliyev wants to have his constitution in Armenia, while Nikol Pashinyan persecutes and arrests all those who oppose it."
Law enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial system employees who carry out these unlawful actions, no matter how much they try to convince themselves that they act according to law and superior orders, have in reality become tools of Ilham Aliyev. They, their friends, and relatives must live with this awareness."
