This is a recent protest that took place when a detained individual, a public activist, was silenced for expressing their views freely. Defense attorney Ruben Melikyan officially announced on his Facebook page the detention of civic activist Narek Samsunyan on March 22.

Melikyan stated that Samsunyan is being detained on charges of spreading false information related to the nationwide protests, which are seen as incitement to unrest and can result in up to 5 years of imprisonment.

The lawyer emphasized that this is an attack on freedom of speech and a violation of political representation. Samsunyan was detained near his own home an hour before the announcement, under the slogan of “arresting the enemy of Nikol Pashinyan, drowning the enemy.”

Samsunyan is being held in connection with a criminal case under Part 2 and Part 3 of Article 297 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. Article 297 defines incitement as the public dissemination of information insulting human dignity or inciting hatred through various means, such as the use of technology or committing acts of violence or vandalism.

Incitement can be punished by a fine of up to 5,000 basic amounts or imprisonment for up to 3 years, or by restricting freedom for a certain period of time. The Committee to Protect Freedom (CRF) has released a press statement titled “Why has Narek Samsunyan been arrested?”