Narek Samsonyan’s recent arrest and the subsequent curtailment of his freedom of speech is an undeniable violation of human rights. During an interview with NEWS.am, Vazgen Saghatelyan, a fellow journalist and host of the podcast “Imenemimi,” expressed his concern about the manner in which Samsonyan was apprehended, stating that it was a blatant abuse of power. Saghatelyan also shared his own apprehension about his safety, revealing that despite being prepared to leave his home, he had not done so yet while Samsonyan was already taken away.

Saghatelyan went on to explain that neither he nor Samsonyan were given any prior notice of the arrest, which was both surprising and incomprehensible to them. He speculated that the reasoning behind this tactic might be to quickly apprehend anyone who leaves their homes. In the podcast, Saghatelyan insisted that their discussions did not promote violence but focused on reporting factual events. However, he admitted that strong language was occasionally used to criticize Nikol and his associates.

The journalist further added that their intention was to challenge the government’s narrative, which they believed was artificially inflating the severity of the country’s situation. Saghatelyan suspected that this arrest might be an attempt to divert attention away from significant underlying issues. To compound matters, the law enforcement authorities forcefully entered and searched their homes earlier in the day, with members of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression present during Samsonyan’s arrest.

The situation took a more tense turn when the spokesperson for the CC bloc announced that Samsonyan had been detained in connection with his alleged involvement in violence during an opposition rally. The events surrounding Narek Samsonyan’s arrest continue to make headlines in Armenia.