ARF Leaders Arrested in Armenia Amid Accusations of Government Targeting

The leadership of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in Vayots Dzor has been arrested, according to Ishkhan Saghatelyan, Chairman of the ARF Central Committee. This news comes after certain recordings appeared on the Internet, leading investigative bodies to initiate a criminal case. Early this morning, searches began in the ARF offices in Vaik and Yeghegnadzor.

Saghatelyan informed journalists that around 10 leading members of the ARF Vayots Dzor structure have been detained. He described the arrests as kidnappings, stating that it has been extremely difficult to ascertain the whereabouts of those arrested. Lawyers have faced significant obstacles in reaching the detained individuals.

"With their very short wits, they try to extract some testimony without understanding who they are dealing with. At the moment, our deputies are in the region, they are trying to determine the seats, they are constantly creating obstacles for lawyers and deputies," Saghatelyan said.

He claims that the ARF is being targeted by the government, which is attempting to pressure the party with false and fabricated cases. Despite these actions, Saghatelyan asserted that this will not affect the ARF's resolve. He mentioned that among those arrested is a woman, bringing the total number of detainees to about 10, although this number may change as new information comes in.

At an urgent press conference, Saghatelyan questioned the actions of the National Security Service and the police, suggesting that they might be working with the Civic Contract party. He expressed frustration over the recordings and subsequent actions, seeing them as attempts to distract the ARF from its main work.

"Well, the recordings are about the invasion, first of all the reliability of that recording, I don't understand if the National Security Service and the police are working with 'Civic,' they send it, they do the recording, and then they start an attack?" Saghatelyan asked. "I want to understand who works for whom, this is just an invasion, the purpose of this is to distract us from our main work for a few hours."

He also criticized structures that talk about democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech for their silence, accusing them of being two-faced. Saghatelyan believes that the actions against the ARF are part of broader efforts by law enforcement officers against the movement led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.