Political analysts associate prosecution of Samvel Babayan with revenge of authorities

The criminal proceedings against Samvel Babayan, the former Nagorno-Karabakh Minister of Defence, sentenced to six years of imprisonment for illegal import of a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) "Igla" to Armenia, may be a revenge of the authorities for his participation in the formation of the opposition bloc, since he is considered as a serious political figure. This opinion was voiced by political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 28, 2017, in Yerevan, the court recognized the Samvel Babayan's involvement in the import of the MANPADS "Igla" into the country as proved and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment. The opposition and Samvel Babayan himself called his arrest politically motivated. On February 16, 2018, in the appeal court, Robert Agvanyan, a seller of the MANPADS "Igla", who was extradited from Georgia, stated that the MANPADS did not cross the Armenian-Georgian border, but was stored in Armenia and belonged to his father since the Karabakh war.

The interrogation of the key witness proved the groundlessness of the charges brought against Samvel Babayan. The testimony given by witness Robert Agvanyan called into question the objectivity of the investigation, and that fact alone is enough to "question the rest of the evidence in the case," believes Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly.

"This is political persecution. The Armenian authorities treat him as a threat, since he is beyond their control. The task was to hold him accountable at any cost in order to stop the rival's and political activities on the eve of the parliamentary elections," Arthur Sakunts told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.