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Escalating fears of a crackdown on press freedom ahead of national parliamentary elections, Armenian authorities summoned the top editor of a prominent independent newspaper for questioning over accusations that she called for a violent overthrow of the government.
Armine Ohanyan, the editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Hraparak, was interrogated on by the country’s Investigative Committee over an editorial she wrote in December 2024. Following the questioning, she was compelled to sign a non-disclosure agreement, according to her publication.
The investigation centers on Article 422 of the Armenian Criminal Code, a statute that criminalizes public calls for the seizure of power, the breach of territorial integrity, or the violent overthrow of the constitutional order. If formally charged and convicted, Ohanyan faces between two and five years in prison.
The move has sent a chill through the country's opposition and independent media corps. Hraparak, which has been a persistent critic of the government, characterized the probe as a politically motivated assault designed to muzzle dissent before voters head to the polls.
“Article 422 has become a lifeline for the government and is now a primary tool for political persecution,” the newspaper said in a statement. The publication noted that rumors had circulated for months that law enforcement agencies planned to target “several editors of free media outlets on the eve of the elections.”
The summons drew swift condemnation from political figures, who warned that the ruling party was weaponizing the justice system to neutralize its critics. Mane Tandilyan, a former minister of labor and social affairs, accused the government of dragging up old writings to manufacture a crisis.
“Material written years ago is suddenly being turned into a subject of a criminal case,” Tandilyan said, arguing that the law enforcement apparatus is being appropriated “to silence the speech of the opposition.”
She warned that the government's actions were inflicting profound damage on the country's democratic institutions.
“These fears of power have an irreparable impact on our society and, in this case, on the right to free speech,” Tandilyan said. “This is a consistent attempt to restrict free expression by labeling its manifestations as ‘public calls to seize power and overthrow the constitutional order.’”
