Hayk Mamijanyan, the head of the opposition faction "With Honour," criticized the allegedly fabricated and politically motivated trial of Armen Ashotyan, the deputy chairman of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia. Speaking to reporters outside the Yerevan court during a hearing on January 8, Mamijanyan accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of seeking revenge against one of his most formidable political opponents.

Mamijanyan stated that many people, including former President of Colombia Andrés Pastrana, Georgia’s ex-Foreign Minister Giorgi Tsereteli, Armenia’s former Prime Minister Khosrov Harutyunyan, Chairman of the Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisyan, opposition MPs Aghvan Vardanyan, Asram Krpeyan, Gegham Manukyan, Anna Mkrtchyan, Tigran Abrahamyan, and Mamijanyan himself, had provided personal guarantees for the release of Armen Ashotyan.

Hayk Mamijanyan commented on the situation, stating, “Decisions are made far away from this court building, at mansions under the influence of alcohol.” He refrained from predicting whether the court would release Armen Ashotyan.

The arrest of Armen Ashotyan is viewed as politically motivated by other prominent Armenian politicians as well. 

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