Armenian Woman Arrested Over Private Message Critical of Pashinyan, Raising Alarm Over Free Speech Crackdown

A 55-year-old woman from the town of Akhurian in northwestern Armenia has been arrested and charged over a private online message that authorities say contained offensive language and a call for violence against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his family.

According to her lawyer, Artak Movsisyan, the woman was taken into custody late last week. She has been formally charged with hooliganism and making a public call for violence. The charges were brought after a screenshot of her private message was shared on social media by another person.

Movsisyan said the message was part of a private exchange between two users and was not intended for public view. “The post that served as the basis for initiating the criminal proceedings is part of a private conversation -- a message sent by one [social media] user to another. Although the correspondence was not public in nature, it was considered by the investigating body as public speech and, therefore, also a public call.”

The lawyer did not disclose the identity of his client or the exact wording of the message. He said only that she supports the opposition movement led by indicted billionaire Samvel Karapetyan.

Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General and the Investigative Committee have not provided details about the case. Movsisyan said the prosecution could set a dangerous precedent for the rule of law and for citizens’ privacy. “It means that anyone can find themselves in this situation because of their private correspondence,” he argued.

In recent months, Armenian prosecutors have not denied reports that they are monitoring social media posts critical of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Some of these posts have led to criminal investigations. In November, the Yerevan-based newspaper Aravot reported on several such cases and published reader comments that prompted official action. Among those investigated was an Armenian-born woman believed to be living in the United States.

One of the comments cited in reports read: “You compare yourself too much to Christ, let's crucify you as a nation, maybe that's how we'll get rid of you,” posted under one of Pashinyan’s social media updates.

Several well-known critics of the Armenian government have also faced charges in recent months. In October, outspoken lawyer Aleksandr Kochubayev was arrested by masked security officers one day after he publicly referred to certain law-enforcement and judicial officials as “sons of a b*tch” over their involvement in the detention of another Armenian bishop.

On November 13, two pro-opposition podcasters, Naren Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, were arrested for verbally abusing parliament speaker Alen Simonyan in response to his own personal insults. Saghatelyan remains in prison, while Samsonyan was later transferred to house arrest after undergoing surgery in a Yerevan hospital.

There are no known cases of political allies or supporters of Pashinyan being prosecuted for making offensive remarks or threats against opposition figures. In late December, a government supporter publicly called for the murder of Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, whom Pashinyan has been attempting to remove from his position. Law-enforcement authorities have not announced any charges or questioning in that case.

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