Armenian opposition mayor placed in pre-trial detention

Vardan Ghukasyan, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has been charged with bribery

An Armenian court has ordered the pre-trial detention of a prominent critic of pro-Western Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Vardan Ghukasyan, the mayor of Gyumri, who was elected in April from the Communist Party of Armenia, was arrested on Monday and placed under a two-month detention order the following day. His detention sparked street demonstrations in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, where protesters demanding his release clashed with police.

Investigators claim Ghukasyan extorted a $10,000 bribe from a local businessman in exchange for overlooking irregularities in the construction of his property.

Prime Minister Pashinyan had previously threatened to throw people like Ghukasyan “out of politics,” claiming the mayor was undermining Armenian sovereignty with his statements. Critics accuse Pashinyan of using law enforcement to suppress dissent and consolidate power amid declining popularity.

In June, Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was detained on charges of corruption and plotting to overthrow the government, while his energy holdings were targeted for nationalization. Earlier in October, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan of the Armenian Apostolic Church was sentenced to two years in prison for alleged support of a coup attempt.

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Pashinyan’s feud with the influential church dates back to 2020, when Catholicos Garegin II, the spiritual head of the denomination, urged him to step down after Armenia ceded land to Azerbaijan.