Armenian court orders pre-trial detention of critic of pro-Western PM

(MENAFN) An Armenian court has ordered the pre-trial detention of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, a vocal opponent of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, escalating political tensions in the country’s second-largest city.

Ghukasyan, who won the mayoral election in April as a candidate of the Communist Party of Armenia, was arrested on Monday and placed under a two-month detention order the following day. His detention quickly triggered street demonstrations in Gyumri, where supporters clashed with police while demanding his release.

Investigators accuse the mayor of accepting a $10,000 bribe from a local businessman in return for ignoring violations during a construction project.

The arrest follows previous remarks by Pashinyan, who had vowed to remove figures like Ghukasyan “out of politics,” alleging that the opposition mayor was undermining Armenia’s sovereignty through his statements. Critics, however, argue that the prime minister is increasingly weaponizing law enforcement to silence dissent and tighten his political control amid waning public support.

Ghukasyan’s detention is the latest in a series of arrests targeting influential figures accused of corruption or plotting against the government. In June, Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was detained on charges of corruption and conspiracy to overthrow the state, while his energy assets faced nationalization. Earlier in October, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan of the Armenian Apostolic Church received a two-year prison sentence for allegedly backing a coup attempt.

Pashinyan’s strained relationship with the powerful Armenian Church dates back to 2020, when Catholicos Garegin II, the spiritual leader of the denomination, publicly urged him to resign following Armenia’s territorial losses to Azerbaijan.

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