Armenian opposition figures detained amid ongoing crackdown

Armenian authorities have detained Sevak Khachatryan, the head of Sotk village, and Davit Shahnazaryan, the leader of the opposition “United Vardenis” faction in the local city council, according to a Telegram channel affiliated with the protest movement “Tavush for the Homeland.”

No official explanation for the arrests has been issued so far. The detentions come amid a wave of arrests targeting members of the opposition.

On June 25, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and 16 of his supporters were arrested during a large-scale security operation. According to the Investigative Committee of Armenia, the detainees are accused of plotting terrorist acts, inciting mass unrest, and attempting a violent overthrow of the government.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that law enforcement agencies disrupted a “criminal-oligarchic-clerical plan” to seize power.