Armenian podcasters detained following a broadcast that criticized Speaker Alen Simonyan, with police raids and lawyer access denied during investigations.
Two Armenian podcasters were arrested after a recent episode of their show mentioned the Speaker of Parliament.
Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelian, co-hosts of the “Imnemnimi” podcast, have been detained, according to their lawyers Ruben Melikyan and Arsen Babayan. The arrest follows the November 10 episode of the podcast, in which the hosts commented on National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, as reported by “Azatutyun.”
Lawyer Ruben Melikyan said on Facebook that masked individuals entered the homes of both hosts early in the morning. Melikyan tried to enter Samsonyan’s residence to be present during the investigative actions, but the door was not opened for him.
Saghatelian also confirmed on Facebook that masked individuals were entering their home, writing, “At this very moment, masked men are entering our house.”
In a livestream, Melikyan suggested these actions may be linked to an interview aired days earlier with former President Serzh Sargsyan. He explained that following the interview on November 7, Speaker Simonyan publicly referred to the show’s hosts as “sons of a bitch” (translated from Armenian “shan tgha”) on November 9.
“In the November 10 episode, Vazgen responded sharply to those remarks, while Narek reacted without using offensive language. Where is the hooliganism? Calling someone ‘sons of a bitch’ isn’t hooliganism, but replying to it is?” Melikyan said.
The Investigative Committee confirmed that urgent investigative measures were carried out in the homes of Samsonyan and Saghatelian as part of an ongoing criminal case, according to “Armenpress.”
The lawyer also stated during the livestream that authorities are conducting a search at the Antifake office.
