An Armenian court on Friday declined to release an opposition figure from Vanadzor, who was arrested shortly after his victory over Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party in a December 2021 municipal election.
The opposition figure, Aslanian, had previously served as the mayor of Vanadzor, Armenia’s third-largest city, for five years and was set to reclaim his position. However, just two days before the new city council was to convene and potentially elect him as mayor, Aslanian was arrested and charged with the illegal privatization of city land during his previous tenure.
The 50-year-old former mayor has consistently described the charges against him as politically motivated throughout his trial, which commenced in June 2022. His defense team made several requests for his release pending the trial’s outcome, arguing there was no just cause for his continued detention. Nevertheless, the presiding judge has denied these requests, citing concerns from prosecutors about possible witness tampering.
After hearing testimony from all witnesses initially listed, Aslanian’s lawyers submitted another petition for his release. The judge dismissed this petition as well, deciding to call seven additional witnesses, including Arkadi Peleshian, a controversial figure appointed as acting mayor of Vanadzor in 2022, who is known to be a Pashinyan loyalist.
“The court fabricated legal justifications to maintain my client’s detention,” stated Arak Voskanian, one of Aslanian’s defense attorneys, in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Ruben Melikian, a legal expert and activist based in Yerevan critical of the administration, also expressed concerns that the summoning of extra witnesses was strategically done to prolong Aslanian’s imprisonment.
The Armenian government and the ruling Civil Contract party have rejected accusations from the opposition alleging that Pashinyan orchestrated Aslanian’s arrest and legal troubles to ensure continued control over the Vanadzor municipality. These accusations come amid broader criticisms that the prime minister is undermining local democratic outcomes.
Aslanian’s bloc secured the majority of votes in the contested elections, marking a significant challenge to Pashinyan’s party, which faced losses across 36 communities during the local polls on December 5, 2021.
