Armenia's prosecution of opposition over social media posts raises questions for EU ties

In early October, Artur Danielyan, leader of Armenia's opposition party Adekvad, was arrested over Facebook posts criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the country's security services. Over the past two years, Armenian authorities have charged several opposition figures, mostly over their social media activity. Civil society representatives see this as a worrying shift toward democratic backsliding, while the European Union, which Yerevan is seeking closer ties with, has not given a clear reaction.

Why Danielyan was detained

Danielyan criticized Pashinyan's stance on a possible prisoner exchange. It involves an Azerbaijani soldier accused of breaking into the home of a 39-year-old woman in the village of Shaki and injuring her and her children. In an interview with the news outlet Infocom, Pashinyan ruled out swapping the soldier for Armenians detained in Azerbaijan. Danielyan answered with a harsh attack, calling the prime minister a "scumbag" and accusing him of being unwilling to bring fellow citizens home.

Armenia and Azerbaijan were in conflict for three decades over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region populated by Armenians. After Azerbaijan's 2023 military offensive, Baku regained control of the territory, and more than 100,000 Armenians fled. Baku currently holds 19 Armenians, including former senior officials of the region's de facto administration.

Other cases and criticism

More than a dozen Armenian civil society organizations jointly described the prosecution as "patently illegal, disproportionate, and politically motivated." Ahead of the June parliamentary elections, Artur Osipyan, an activist displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, was arrested after a verbal clash with Pashinyan. He is charged with disrupting public order, obstructing the ruling party's campaign and inciting violence against Pashinyan in a March post.

A 2025 Freedom House report said nearly 95% of court cases on incitement to violence involved alleged threats against Pashinyan and his supporters.

The EU's position

Political analyst Tigran Grigoryan told DW that the EU's approach is pragmatic and geopolitically driven, as Armenia has become its main partner in the region and the alternative to Pashinyan is a pro-Russian opposition. Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations agreed that support is driven by Russia policy. An EU spokesperson said investigations should be independent and impartial, free from political considerations.