Oppositionist Vanetsyan suspected of plotting Pashinyan's murder

Arthur Vanetsyan, a former head of special services, now the leader of the "Fatherland" Party, was detained in connection with an attempt to usurp power and preparation of the assassination of the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, Vanetsyan's defence has stated he is treating it as political persecution.

Mr Vanetsyan was summoned to the Investigating Department of the National Security Service (NSS), where he was detained, his advocates, Lusine Saakyan and Ervand Varosyan, reported on November 14.

According to Ms Saakyan, law enforcers tried to search the house of Vanetsyan and his parents, but it turned out that a wrong address was indicated in the warrant. Besides, law enforcers searched the office of the "Motherland" Foundation. The advocates have qualified it as "shameful persecution" by the authorities, the "Sputnik-Armenia" has reported.

Arthur Vanetsyan was detained under the articles of involvement in the illegal circulation of weapons, ammunition and explosive devices, preparation for the murder of a politician and preparation for the usurpation of state power, Lusine Saakyan has said. "The authorities' flight of thought, capable of 'creativity' in silencing their political opponents only inside the state, gave rise to accusations of preparing the state power usurpation and the murder of Nikol Pashinyan. It's impossible to comment on this in any way within the legal domain," the "News of Armenia" has quoted Ms Saakyan as saying.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 14, 2020 at 05:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.