The Armenian Parliament has waived the immunity of three MPs from the opposition Armenia Alliance faction, including senior members Seyran Ohanyan and Artsvik Minasyan. Parliament has also given the Prosecutor General leave to criminally charge Artur Sargsyan, another MP from the same faction, related to Holy Struggle’s alleged coup plot.
Parliament waived immunity for Ohanyan and Minasyan on Monday, allowing the authorities to press charges against the two senior opposition figures.
According to the Prosecutor General’s appeal, Ohanyan has been accused of unlawfully acquiring a 10,526-square-meter plot of land near Lake Sevan, designated as a nature reserve within the Sevan National Park. He was also accused of building a private house without approval and of not declaring ownership of the house since becoming an MP in 2021.
Ohanyan is also accused of receiving ֏58 million ($151,000) in bribes during his term as defence minister for providing illegal advantages in the ministry’s procurement processes.
Minasyan was accused of failing to fulfil his official duties during his time as Environmental Protection Minister.
Minasyan allegedly did not take measures to ‘eliminate the consequences’ of Ohanyan’s violations, and did not ‘ensure the application of legal accountability measures’ against him, thereby causing significant damage to the state.
The two MPs previously held ministerial positions under previous governments, and are currently members of Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance, the largest opposition faction. Ohanyan serves as the faction’s parliamentary leader.
Armenia’s Prosecutor General requested parliament waive immunity for Ohanyan and Minasyan in mid-June, a month after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused the opposition of corruption during a parliamentary session.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
‘We will remove you by force of law’
The Prosecutor General demanded that parliament waive immunity for Artur Sargsyan on Monday in order to charge him with conspiracy to commit terrorism and seize power for participating in Holy Struggle’s alleged coup plot, for which at least 15 people were detained on charges of seeking to violently overthrow the government.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
In a speech in parliament on Tuesday, Sargsyan dismissed the charges, calling them illegal.
‘I officially declare that there is no such thing, there has not been and there cannot be any evidence’, said Sargsyan, according to Civilnet.
‘We will remove you by force of law and by all methods not prohibited’, he addressed Pashinyan.
According to Civilnet, Sargsyan concluded his speech by saying he would spend time with his family before appearing before the Investigative Committee. They reported that an argument and a scuffle broke out in parliament after he had left the hall.
Later, Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan issued a statement strongly condemning the brawl in parliament, saying ‘Parliament must be a platform for democratic debate, not a battlefield’.
Yousef Bardouka
