Opposition MP condemns Armenian ruling party’s campaign against ARF

Kristine Vardanyan, an MP from the opposition Hayastan faction and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), has condemned the recent detentions of ARF members as politically motivated.

Speaking to reporters at a protest outside the Investigative Committee building in Yerevan on Friday, Vardanyan accused the authorities of attempting to portray the ARF as a terrorist organization in order to justify the calls for its dissolution. She pointed specifically to a recent statement by Civil Contract MP Hasmik Hakobyan, who publicly called for the ARF to be banned in Armenia.

“This is a campaign against the ARF, just like the one against the Armenian Apostolic Church,” the MP stated.

She firmly rejected any accusations of extremism, emphasizing the ARF’s long-standing commitment to national causes. “You won’t find a single instance where the ARF has turned its weapons or fists against the Armenian people. Our fight has always been against the enemies of the Armenian nation,” Vardanyan added.