German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has published an investigation examining allegations of politically motivated prosecutions, restrictions on freedom of expression, and democratic backsliding under Nikol Pashinyan’s administration, while questioning the European Union’s limited public criticism.
Published on November 7, the report highlights criminal proceedings against opposition figures, the unequal treatment of government critics, and the apparent reluctance of law enforcement to investigate hostile rhetoric directed at forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians.
One of the central cases involves Artur Danielyan, leader of the opposition “Adekvad” party, who was arrested in October following Facebook posts sharply criticizing Pashinyan and Armenia’s security services.
More than a dozen Armenian civil society organizations condemned Danielyan’s prosecution as “patently illegal, disproportionate, and politically motivated.”
Their joint statement, cited by DW, warned that the prosecution was intended to discourage public criticism and dissent.
DW also examined the case of Artur Osipyan, an activist forcibly displaced from Artsakh, who was arrested following a verbal confrontation with Pashinyan during the parliamentary election campaign. Prosecutors subsequently charged him with disrupting public order, obstructing the ruling “Civil Contract” party’s campaign, and inciting violence through an earlier social media post.
The investigation cites Freedom House’s 2025 assessment, which found that nearly 95% of court cases concerning incitement to violence under a 2020 criminal-code amendment involved alleged threats against Pashinyan or his supporters. Potentially unlawful statements by ruling-party representatives, however, appeared to escape comparable scrutiny.
The disparity was also documented in Freedom House’s 2024 Nations in Transit report, which found that 36 of the 38 cases reaching court under the provision concerned alleged calls for violence against Pashinyan or his supporters.
The unequal treatment extends to forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians.
According to monitoring conducted by the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, pro-government bloggers and influential social media figures repeatedly directed hostile and derogatory rhetoric at Artsakh Armenians during the 2026 election period. Despite the documented incidents, law enforcement largely refrained from pursuing criminal prosecutions against those responsible.
DW’s investigation also raises questions about the European Union’s response.
Tigran Grigoryan, director of the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, told DW that Brussels has adopted “a very pragmatic and geopolitically driven approach” toward Armenia.
Grigoryan argued that Armenia’s growing geopolitical importance to the EU, particularly amid developments in Georgia, has contributed to the absence of a meaningful European response to politically sensitive criminal cases.
Stefan Meister, an Eastern Europe expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, similarly questioned whether European support for Pashinyan’s administration is motivated more by geopolitical interests than democratic principles.
Meister said European support was “mainly driven by the European Russia policy,” arguing that Brussels prioritizes strengthening political forces that reduce Russian influence in Armenia and the wider region.
He also challenged the portrayal of Pashinyan’s political opponents as Russian proxies, emphasizing that criticism of Pashinyan does not automatically indicate a pro-Russian position.
Meister warned that “the EU is somehow falling into this trap” by accepting that political narrative.
Responding to DW, an EU spokesperson maintained that democracy, fundamental rights, and the rule of law remain central to EU-Armenia relations.
The spokesperson said Brussels was monitoring criminal investigations and emphasized that they must be conducted “in an independent and impartial manner, free from political considerations.”
The Deutsche Welle investigation brings renewed international attention to allegations of selective prosecution under Pashinyan’s administration. It also raises questions about whether the EU’s geopolitical priorities have weakened its willingness to publicly challenge alleged violations of democratic safeguards in Armenia.
