Erkin Oncan
Pashinyan's orchestrated operations seem intended not only to suppress the opposition but also to position himself as the founder of a "New Armenia."
The tensions sparked by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's operations against Bagrat Galstanyan and his supporters from the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) continue to escalate in Armenia.
Most recently, security forces detained seven individuals on the grounds that they were "preparing a terrorist attack." One of the detainees is facing criminal charges under Article 43(1) and Article 308 of the Armenian Criminal Code (preparation of a terrorist act), which carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Authorities announced that during the searches of the detainees' residences, a remote-controlled electric explosive device, its components, a hand grenade, a grenade fuse, gunpowder, radio communication devices, and "various other items and substances deemed important for the investigation" were found.
However, both the detentions and the materials found during the searches have become matters of controversy. The investigations are being conducted not only under the scope of terrorist act preparations but also under the laws concerning "the illegal circulation of firearms, their main components, ammunition, and other materials, devices, and objects."
Objections raised regarding the detentions and searches claim that all weapons seized by security forces were legally registered. It was also alleged that the items seen in the published photos from the searches were not weapons but airsoft equipment, and that the grenade in question was filled with plastic pellets intended for recreational purposes.
In response to these claims, the Investigative Committee released a new statement, asserting that the F-1 type grenade and two electric detonators found during the searches were in fact real and intended for combat.
Just as with the operations targeting the AAC, Armenian authorities are once again emphasizing a "planned terrorist attack." This time, however, the target is one of Armenia's oldest political forces: the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), known as Dashnaktsutyun.
The Targeted Party: Dashnaktsutyun
On the morning of July 9, Armenian security forces launched operations targeting the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party in the capital Yerevan.
Arsen Martoyan, a member of the party's Yerevan City Committee, and Taron Manukyan, the son of "Hayastan" parliamentary group MP Gegham Manukyan, were taken into custody.
Simultaneously, searches were carried out at the residences of Taron Manukyan, ARF Supreme Body Administrative Unit Chair Vahan Matinyan, and Gevorg Muradyan, a member of the Yegvard municipal council and head of the ARF Youth Union's Central Council.
Lawyers for the detained opposition members reported that they were not allowed to meet with their clients.
Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a representative of the party's Supreme Body, described the raids as a "new phase of political pressure," coinciding with Pashinyan's visit to Turkey.
ARF member and opposition MP Lilit Galstyan also criticized the raids, calling them "a clear violation of the political parties law" and "a deliberate assault aimed at obstructing Dashnaktsutyun's activities."
Human Rights Defenders Invoke 'April 24, 1915' Comparison
The "Five Human Rights Defenders" initiative, which provides legal monitoring and public oversight during official searches and operations against opposition figures, described the actions of the security forces as a form of terrorism. They compared the operations to the arrest of Armenian intellectuals by the Ottoman Empire on April 24, 1915.
Though the details of these operations vary across cases, they are largely categorized under general labels such as "terrorism" and "coup plot."
Earlier this month, MP Artur Sargsyan accused Pashinyan in parliament of turning Armenia into "a fortress of dictatorship where everything is prearranged." Sargsyan, who had called for Pashinyan's resignation, was stripped of his parliamentary seat, his immunity was lifted, and he-along with 15 others-was charged with plotting a coup and terrorism.
Soon after, prominent figures from the opposition "Armenia Alliance," Seyran Ohanyan and Artsvik Minasyan, were formally charged with corruption-related offenses. A third MP, Artur Sargsyan, is also facing legal proceedings for alleged involvement in a coup attempt. All three have lost their immunity and are expected to stand trial.
Allegation: "Pashinyan Pledged Genocide Concessions to Aliyev"
Another factor fueling tensions between Dashnaktsutyun and Pashinyan is the Prime Minister's comments about the ARF's ideology during a meeting with the Armenian community in France.
"There has been only one ideology in Armenia since the founding of the Third Republic - the ideology of Dashnaktsutyun," Pashinyan said, advocating for a new ideological transformation. The harshest response came from Saghatelyan, who accused Pashinyan of "paving the way for new concessions" and of pledging to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that he would suppress political circles that keep the Armenian Genocide and Nagorno-Karabakh issues on the agenda.
Saghatelyan further stated:
"He talks about learning from history, but if real lessons had been learned, figures like him who oppose national values would not be in power, Karabakh would not have been occupied, and enemy troops wouldn't be on Armenian soil. Pashinyan is the last person who should talk about sovereignty. Over the past six years, he has made the country entirely dependent on foreign powers."
Different Arguments, Similar Debates
Despite varying arguments, the political turbulence in Armenia mirrors debates familiar to us. In Turkey, liberal and conservative circles claim that all political factions carry remnants of 'Kemalism' and its so-called 'tutelage regime.' This narrative is part of a broader reckoning with the past as the country searches for a new direction - a pattern that finds parallels in Armenia.
In Armenia, everything changed with the 2018 Velvet Revolution. Nikol Pashinyan came to power with a pro-Western, reformist image, initially presenting an alternative to authoritarianism and corruption. But over time, he has veered in a very different direction. Today, he faces not just an opposition bloc, but a broad "reckoning with history" front - from nationalists to the Church, from pro-Russian circles to the Karabakh diaspora.
'Tavush for the Homeland'
The last straw in Armenia's struggle between the "old" and the "new" came in the northeastern Tavush region. This strategic area, close to the Azerbaijani border, became the center of controversy due to Pashinyan's plan to cede four villages to Azerbaijan as part of a border delimitation process.
Bagrat Galstanyan, the Archbishop at the center of the crackdown on the Church, launched the "Tavush for the Homeland" movement. Quickly renamed the "Sacred Movement," it turned into a mass protest and marched toward Yerevan.
Similarly, Dashnaktsutyun-now also targeted by Pashinyan's government-became one of the most active components of this opposition movement.
The AAC is Armenia's official and largest church and one of the world's oldest Christian institutions. Dashnaktsutyun is one of Armenia's most established political parties, known for its nationalist right-wing orientation. Pashinyan has now declared war on both of these powerful institutions. At the center of it all lies the loss of Karabakh.
Pashinyan's "Opportunity" in the Loss of Karabakh
Following the 2020 defeat to Azerbaijan, effective Armenian control over Nagorno-Karabakh came to an end. For much of the population, this was a traumatic loss, but for Pashinyan's administration, it became an opportunity to sever ties with the past.
For Armenia's pro-Western political forces, Karabakh has long been viewed not as a "historical cause" but as a "historical burden" that sustained Yerevan's dependence on Russia. This framing shapes Pashinyan's core domestic and foreign policies.
The dominant narrative he promotes is one of a "Real Armenia." In his view, Armenia must break free from the myths of the past, the dream of a "Historical Armenia," and burdens like Karabakh. The greatest political consequence of this "necessity" is distancing the country from Russia. That is why many of the targeted political factions are labeled as "pro-Russian."
Pashinyan's announcement that Armenia's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has been frozen, and his approval of Armenia's accession to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, are all natural steps in this direction.
Critical Elections Ahead
Amid all these developments, the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2026, are of great importance. Although Pashinyan and his party currently hold power, public support hovers around only 15%. Meanwhile, the opposition, though broad and diverse, has yet to form a united front.
Under these conditions, Pashinyan's orchestrated operations seem intended not only to suppress the opposition but also to position himself as the founder of a "New Armenia."