Bright Armenia

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Gagik Tsarukyan speaking in his defence in parliament.

Armenia

Armenian parliament clears way for arrest of opposition oligarch

by OC Media

•4 min read

The Armenian parliament has voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan, leading the way for his prosecution. Supporters of Tsarukyan, who leads the Prosperous Armenia Party have taken to blocking the streets of Yerevan. Tsarukyan, one of the richest men in Armenia, is under investigation for vote-buying, illegal business practices, and organising a fraudulent land transfer scheme. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, the prosecutor general of Armenia appeale

Armenia

Fists fly during sitting of Armenia’s National Assembly

by OC Media

•4 min read

Tensions were high in Armenia’s National Assembly this past week after a physical altercation broke out between representatives of the ruling My Step and opposition Bright Armenia factions. On 8 May, during a parliamentary session during which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and members of the Government were present, head of the Bright Armenia parliamentary faction Edmon Marukyan and ruling My Step coalition MP Sasun Mikayelyan got into a physical altercation, that quickly involved multiple ot

Alen Simonyan

Deputy chair of Armenian parliament headbutts far-right leader

by OC Media

•5 min read

The deputy chair of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, has attacked a far-right government critic in the street allegedly after he swore at Simonyan. On Wednesday, Simonyan said he bumped into Artur Danielyan, who heads far-right political group Adekvat and is a vocal government critic in the street by chance. According to Simonyan, he greeted Danielyan to which Danielyan responded by swearing at him. In response, Simonyan said he headbutted Danielyan leading to a fight. The fight res

Armenia

New law to confiscate ‘illegally obtained’ property passes first vote in Armenia

by OC Media

•3 min read

Armenia’s National Assembly has voted in favour of a new draft law that would allow the state to confiscate ‘illegal’ property from individuals under investigation for a crime if it is proven that the difference between the value of their property and their declared income over time is more than ֏25 million ($52,000). The vote took place on 5 March. Another vote must still take place before the draft law becomes active legislation. The new law, titled ‘Confiscation of Illegal Property,’ was

Anna Kostanyan

Blasphemy at the puppet theatre: death metal band sparks freedom of speech debate in Armenia

by Hovhannes Ishkhanyan

•7 min read

Death metal band Vader’s attempted performance at the State Puppet Theatre has sparked debate over the limits of free speech in Armenia. The Facebook post read: ‘Yesterday I learned that the Satanist, Polish band Vader is going to give a concert in Yerevan.’ Next to those words, Armen Hareyan, a sub-deacon of Armenian Apostolic Church living in the United States, also posted two photographs from a previous Vader performance. In one, the band is on stage with a large, flaming devil behi

Armenia

Armenia cuts five ministries in government ‘optimisation’

by Armine Avetisyan

•3 min read

Armenia’s parliament has adopted a bill to cut the number of ministries from 17 to 12 as part of a government ‘optimisation’ drive. The National Assembly approved the bill, which also reduces the number of deputy prime ministers from three to two, on 18 April. ‘Our main task is to increase the effectiveness of public administration and relations with the diaspora because today we see gaps and problems in these two directions’, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a government sess

Armenia

Pashinyan block wins landslide in Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections

by OC Media

•4 min read

Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step Alliance has won a landslide in Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results. The previous ruling party, the Republican Party of Armenia, as well as their former coalition partner the Armenian Revolutionary Federation both failed to gain seats in Sunday’s vote. Pashinyan’s My Step Alliance, made up of his Civil Contract Party, garnered 70.4% of votes, 880,000 people. Of the nine political parties and two alliances that took part in the