Armenia: Authorities Open New Criminal Case Against Gyumri Mayor

Law enforcement authorities in Armenia have opened a second criminal case against Vardan Ghukasyan, the mayor of Gyumri, the country’s second-largest city, Orda.kz reports citing News.am.

According to his lawyers, the new charge — under Article 422, Part 2 of Armenia’s Criminal Code — concerns “public calls to renounce the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.”

The accusation stems from Ghukasyan’s remarks about Armenia “joining a union with other countries.”

Mayor Ghukasyan merely exercised his fundamental right to express an opinion, comparing Armenia’s position with other states that form mutually beneficial alliances,<...> By the same logic, recent calls for Armenia to join the EU would also constitute a crime,
 his defense said in a statement.

In September, the mayor said Armenia should form a union with Russia, while preserving its own laws, parliament, and government.

Ghukasyan, elected in April, was arrested on October 20 on separate charges of bribery and extortion.

Political analyst Grant Mikaelyan of the Caucasus Institute told The Insider that the ruling party is seeking to take control of Gyumri, an opposition stronghold:

We’re seeing systematic pressure on this mayor. The authorities never accepted losing the election in Gyumri. This is part of a broader effort to tighten control over local governments and weaken the opposition ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the recent events in Gyumri and the arrest are Armenia’s internal matter, adding that Moscow is closely monitoring the situation.