The National Assembly controlled by the ruling Civil Contract party agreed to lift Artur Sargsian’s immunity prosecution in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation into what law-enforcement authorities call a foiled coup attempt led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian.
Galstanian and 14 of his supporters were arrested and charged on June 25 with plotting to topple the government through “terrorist acts.” They all deny the accusations. Sargsian, who is affiliated with the main opposition Hayastan alliance, likewise denied any involvement in the alleged plot during a parliament debate on his prosecution which began on Monday night.
“Everything is already predetermined … and I have decided that instead of spending my precious time [left before the arrest] here, I will go to church with my four minor children and wife, light a candle there, and then go to the Investigative Committee,” Sargsian said before walking out of the parliament floor.
According to some eyewitness accounts, the brawl broke out there after Vahe Ghalumian, a pro-government deputy close to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, physically assaulted Sargsian during his walkout. Other deputies joined in the fight, jostling and swearing at each other.
Artur Hovannisian, a senior lawmaker from Pashinian’s Civil Contract party, threatened to “break the neck” of another opposition colleague and threw a glass bottle at him. The bottle hit instead Civil Contract’s Karen Hambardzumian in the head, however.
Despite the intervention of uniformed security guards, the ugly scene continued in the parliament lobby, with Hakob Arshakian, a parliament vice-speaker affiliated with Civil Contract, chasing oppositionists there. Arshakian shoved in the process a pregnant woman who tried to rein him in. He claimed afterwards that he only tried to free his hand.
Artur Sarkisian, a parliament deputy from the opposition Hayastan alliance.
The parliament’s pro-government majority voted to allow Sargsian’s arrest shortly after the violence. Sargsian arrived at the Investigative Committee even before the announcement of the predictable vote results.
The oppositionist brushed aside Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetian’s claim that he could obstruct justice or flee the country if not taken into custody. He argued that he had more than enough time to go into hiding after Archbishop Galstanian’s arrest.
The authorities claimed to have foiled the alleged coup plot amid Pashinian’s ongoing efforts to depose Catholicos Garegin II and other senior clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Another outspoken archbishop, Mikael Ajapahian, was arrested on June 27 on charges of calling for a violent overthrow of Pashinian.
On Monday, the parliamentary majority gave the green light for the indictment of two other Hayastan parliamentarians, Seyran Ohanian and Artsvik Minasian. They both deny corruption charges levelled against them.
Pashinian publicly vowed to jail Ohanian in ill-tempered comments made on the parliament floor on May 7. Opposition leaders say this alone proves that the criminal case is politically motivated.
