Opposition Demands Probe After Airport Footage of Robert Kocharyan Appears in Pro-Government Media

Fresh concerns over privacy, state surveillance, and the treatment of opposition figures have emerged in Armenia after opposition lawmaker Gegham Manukyan formally requested an investigation into how footage of former President Robert Kocharyan at Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport appeared on a media platform linked to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's family.

Manukyan, a member of the Armenia Alliance parliamentary faction, announced that he had appealed to National Security Service Director Andranik Simonyan, seeking clarification on how video recorded at a border control checkpoint was obtained and published by Haykakan Zhamanak, a newspaper owned by the prime minister's family.

The controversy comes during a series of travel restrictions imposed on prominent opposition figures in the days following Armenia's June 7 parliamentary elections, fueling accusations of political pressure and selective enforcement by authorities.

On June 14, it became public that Armenia's second president and leader of the Armenia Alliance, Robert Kocharyan, had been prevented from leaving the country. Earlier that day, Kocharyan's office had announced that he intended to travel abroad on a three-day private visit that had been planned long before the election campaign.

Soon afterward, video footage emerged showing Kocharyan presenting his passport at the airport checkpoint.

In a statement issued before the incident became public, Kocharyan's office said the trip was strictly personal and had previously been postponed because of campaign obligations.

"Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, is leaving the country on a three-day visit. The trip is of a personal nature, was planned long ago, and had been postponed due to the intense election campaign schedule. We have never previously provided advance information about the president's many trips because of their private nature. However, considering the false narratives recently spread by the authorities regarding visits by opposition representatives, we consider it necessary to spare the public from the next expected dose of government disinformation."

Kocharyan's son, opposition lawmaker Levon Kocharyan, later told reporters that his father had been planning to travel to Russia for personal reasons.

The incident follows similar restrictions imposed on other opposition leaders in recent days.

On June 9, Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan was also prevented from leaving Armenia through Zvartnots Airport. Authorities later confirmed that criminal proceedings had been initiated against him.

According to Prosperous Armenia spokesperson and parliamentary candidate Iveta Tonoyan, Tsarukyan had intended to take a short family trip with his wife and had no political purpose for traveling.

Three days later, on June 12, Narek Karapetyan, the leading candidate of the Strong Armenia Alliance, reported that he too had been barred from leaving the country.

Karapetyan said he was attempting to cross the Armenian-Georgian border with a film crew in order to travel to the Upper Lars checkpoint and document the growing backlog of Armenian cargo trucks waiting to enter Russia. He stated that border guards informed him a travel restriction had been imposed and denied him permission to leave Armenia.

The restrictions affecting several high-profile opposition figures have intensified political debate in the aftermath of a closely watched election campaign.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the issue in a video published on social media, referencing earlier campaign remarks directed at political opponents.

"Don't rush to pack your suitcases. I said during the election campaign that you would dream of the opportunity to flee Armenia and you would not have it."

The developments come as Armenia continues to grapple with disputes surrounding the final election results.

According to official results, three political forces secured representation in the next parliament: the ruling Civil Contract Party, the Strong Armenia Alliance, and the Armenia Alliance. The Prosperous Armenia Party narrowly missed the four-percent threshold required for parliamentary representation.

Following the vote, Prosperous Armenia requested a recount, arguing that the outcome was determined by an exceptionally small margin.

The recount process resulted in the correction of technical errors and increased the party's vote total by 147 ballots. At the same time, 222 votes cast in polling stations where results were later declared invalid were removed from the final count after those precincts were annulled.

Opposition representatives argue that had repeat voting been organized in the polling stations where results were invalidated by the Central Election Commission, Prosperous Armenia would likely have secured enough additional votes to enter parliament.

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