Two prominent Armenian opposition figures remained subject to severe restrictions this week as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government continued its post-election campaign against political opponents.
A Yerevan court ordered Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan transferred from prison to house arrest after nine months in custody. The court required him to post bail of 15 million drams, approximately $40,000, prohibited him from speaking to the media and barred him from performing his duties as mayor.
Gyumri will continue to be administered by First Deputy Mayor Avetis Arakelyan, Ghukasyan’s son-in-law.
Ghukasyan was arrested last October on bribery charges shortly after Pashinyan publicly pledged to remove him from Armenia’s “political and public arena.” The opposition mayor denies the accusation and maintains that the prosecution is politically motivated.
Authorities brought additional charges against Ghukasyan in June, including an allegation that he plotted to “usurp power.” Law enforcement agencies have not publicly explained the factual basis of that charge.
The new proceedings came as Pashinyan called for another municipal election in Gyumri “as soon as possible.” Opposition forces accuse the government of manufacturing a political crisis to overturn the results of the April 2025 local election, in which four opposition groups collectively defeated the ruling Civil Contract party and later selected Ghukasyan as mayor.
Separately, imprisoned opposition politician Aregnaz Manukyan condemned what she described as “inhuman and shocking” treatment after authorities prevented her from communicating with her family.
Manukyan said she has been completely isolated since her arrest and has not been permitted even to speak by telephone with her 13-year-old daughter or 85-year-old mother.
A leading member of the opposition Mother Armenia party, Manukyan was arrested on July 9 in connection with the high treason case against party chairman Andranik Tevanyan. Investigators accuse her of passing classified information from a closed parliamentary hearing to Tevanyan.
Manukyan rejects the allegation, saying she committed no act for which she should bear either legal or moral responsibility. Her attorney, Tatevik Soghoyan, said the accusation rests on investigators’ assumptions rather than factual evidence and questioned what legitimate investigative purpose could justify preventing a mother from contacting her child.
The cases are part of a wider wave of arrests targeting opposition leaders, activists and supporters surrounding the disputed June 7 parliamentary election. Opposition parties have rejected the official results awarding victory to Civil Contract and accuse the authorities of using criminal prosecutions to neutralize political opponents and consolidate control after the vote.
