Artsakh ex-lawmaker arrested for making “threatening” statement against Prime Minister

YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. A former lawmaker from Artsakh has been arrested for what authorities described as “threatening” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Vahan Badasyan, an ex-Member of Parliament of Artsakh and the president of the United Armenia political party, is arrested for a statement he made on January 28 when asked by reporters about potential options of ousting the Premier. “[There are] different [ways], up to physically removing [him], this implies that we should remove the enemy, even with arms”, he had said. This statement was deemed by authorities as having contained a death threat against Pashinyan, and the ex-MP was taken into custody by National Security Service operatives the same day.

The National Security Service said their investigators have filed a motion to a court requesting to remand Badasyan in pre-trial detention.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan