By Tigran Grigoryan and Tatev Ghazaryan

On November 13, at 7 a.m., masked officers of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) raided the homes of opposition bloggers and activists Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelian, arresting both men. Later the same day, they were charged with hooliganism and placed in two months’ pre-trial detention. Law enforcement also seized the equipment used for their “Imnemnimi” podcast.

The arrests came immediately after a politically charged media event. On November 12, Samsonyan and Saghatelyan hosted former President Serzh Sargsyan on their podcast, where he spent more than seven hours answering questions in a live broadcast. The episode quickly gained significant attention, accumulating around 268,000 views.

Once the broadcast ended, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reacted by posting a series of Facebook comments addressing Sargsyan’s statements. Even before the episode was released, the Speaker of Parliament, Alen Simonyan, had responded to the teaser trailer by criticizing Sargsyan and insulting the podcast hosts, calling them “sons of a bitch.” Samsonyan and Saghatelyan, in turn, responded with sexually explicit insults directed at Simonyan, both on Facebook and during their podcast. Simonyan subsequently filed a complaint with law enforcement, which led to the criminal case against them.

This episode, much like several developments in recent months, raises serious concerns about selective justice. The use of masked NSS officers to arrest individuals accused of hooliganism in early-morning raids was clearly disproportionate and appears intended to intimidate figures engaged in opposition activities. Such actions stand in stark contrast to the authorities’ handling of incidents involving government officials. Notably, roughly two years ago, Alen Simonyan spat on a citizen who had heckled him, yet no criminal proceedings were initiated. As noted in a previous Democracy Watch report, between 2020 and 2023, 95 percent of criminal cases related to speech were brought against individuals who targeted the prime minister or his supporters.

📍 Turkey reaffirmed that normalizing relations with Armenia will only happen after an Armenia–Azerbaijan peace treaty is signed, keeping the process firmly tied to regional geopolitics. 📍 The United States approved Firebird’s export of advanced Nvidia chips to Armenia for a $500-million AI supercomputing center. 📍 The country’s regulators have placed the Electric Networks of Armenia utility under interim state control while the government pursues ownership transfer talks. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian breaks down the EU’s new visa liberalization plan for Armenia and what it could mean for the country’s political future. He explains the reforms Brussels is demanding, why this process matters now, and how it fits into Armenia’s broader geopolitical shift. Hacopian also reviews the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statements on debt, defense spending, and weapons procurement.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

📍 Police search homes and charge five members of opposition alliance with vote-buying following Vagharshapat municipal election.📍 Armenian court extends billionaire Samvel Karapetyan’s pre-trial detention by two months amid legal and business disputes. 📍 Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians meet in Istanbul to discuss normalization process and parliamentary cooperation.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

Vagharshapat, Armenia’s fourth largest city, held municipal elections on November 16th. The ruling party Civil Contract kept its position in the district with 48% of the votes followed by Victory Alliance with 32%. Ahead of the election day, electoral observers reported violations of financial transparency rules. The Armenia Project intern Martina Sanna joined the Civilnet team to report on the day.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 Ruling Civil Contract party candidate wins Vagharshapat municipal election. 📍 A U.S. State Department official is in Yerevan to discuss Armenia-US mutual interests including the “Trump Road.” 📍 Armenia’s Regulatory Commission revoked the operating license for Electric Networks of Armenia, owned by billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 Construction of a major new transit route across southern Armenia is set to begin in the second half of next year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced.📍 Armenia could revoke the operating license of the country’s main power company, marking the latest escalation in the government’s efforts to seize the utility.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

In recent months, developments in Armenia’s domestic political life have increasingly reflected a serious democratic backslide. The country’s law enforcement and judicial systems have been instrumentalized to serve the ruling party’s internal political interests. Selective justice, the use of disproportionate legal measures, and illegal wiretapping to persecute political opponents have become commonplace features of Armenia’s political landscape.

The authorities — Prime Minister Pashinyan and other ruling party figures — make little effort to conceal their involvement in these processes. These actions are often framed as necessary steps to counter external interference and hybrid threats, according to the government and pro-government actors.

These worrying developments have been a consistent theme in our Democracy Watch reports over the past several months. Another recurring theme is the silence — or, at times, even support — of parts of Armenia’s civil society for the ongoing normalization of anti-democratic practices in the name of “protecting democracy.”

While many civil society groups and organizations have been vocal in condemning the abuse of law enforcement, the judiciary, and the broader state apparatus by the ruling party to neutralize political opponents, others have chosen to turn a blind eye, rationalize, or downplay these actions.

📍 Death cases in Armenian penitentiaries have sharply risen this year, reaching 20 so far, including eight suicides, compared to just 12 cases in 2024.📍 Armenia should impose a permanent ban on the export of used catalytic converters and tighten vehicle emissions standards to combat growing air pollution, according to a report by the International Energy Agency and the European Union.📍 Saudi Arabia has expressed strong interest in investing in Armenia’s economy, a senior Armenian lawmaker said.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 In a rare comment regarding Armenia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Ankara is proceeding with the normalization of relations with Yerevan.📍 Armenia is going to terminate the electricity distribution license of the Electric Networks of Armenia, a company owned by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. This is the latest development in the saga over the power grid seizure that began in June.📍 EXPLAINER: Can Armenia achieve visa-free travel to EU? https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/984741/explainer-can-armenia-achieve-visa-free-travel-to-eu/ #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia