Armenia’s Selective Prosecution: A Threat to EU Relations?

Following the incident, Armenian prosecutors indicted Osipyan for disrupting public order and obstructing the ruling party’s campaign. He was also charged with inciting violence against Pashinyan in a social media post from March.

On April 15, 2020, Article 226.2 was added to Armenia’s criminal code, penalizing public calls to violence, as well as the public justification or promotion of violence.

According to a 2025 report by Freedom House, “nearly 95 percent of court cases concerning incitement to violence under a 2020 criminal code amendment had involved alleged threats against Prime Minister Pashinyan and his supporters, whereas potentially prohibited statements by ruling party members were apparently not subject to the same scrutiny.”

Throughout the 2026 pre-election period, the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, an independent think tank based in Yerevan, monitored online hate speech targeting Nagorno-Karabakh refugees.

Their reports documented how pro-government bloggers and influential social media users used their platforms to direct hostile rhetoric toward displaced Karabakh Armenians, labeling them with derogatory terms. Despite these findings, law enforcement agencies in Armenia largely refrained from pursuing criminal prosecutions against these activists.

Despite Armenia’s efforts to strengthen its ties with the EU, Brussels has given no clear response to the silencing of opposition voices, observers in Yerevan told DW.

“The EU, by and large, has adopted a very pragmatic and geopolitically driven approach,” said political analyst Tigran Grigoryan.

“Given various regional developments, including what is happening in Georgia, Armenia has now become the EU’s primary partner in the region,” he added. “Coupled with the fact that the alternative to Pashinyan is a pro-Russian opposition, there is ultimately no serious response to these criminal cases.”

Stefan Meister, Eastern Europe expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, echoed this view. European support for Armenia appears to be “mainly driven by the European Russia policy,” Meister said. “So it’s not so much about Armenia itself, but it is more about strengthening those forces that are undermining Russia’s influence in the country and in the region.”

Meister believes Pashinyan has leveraged this geopolitical dynamic to label internal political opponents as Russian proxies. However, not everyone who criticizes Pashinyan is pro-Russian, Meister added. He pointed out that “the EU is somehow falling into this trap by accepting that this is the right narrative.”

Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights are at the core of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the Strategic Agenda for the EU-Armenia Partnership, an EU spokesperson said in a written response to DW’s request for comment.

It also pointed out that “the EU is closely following developments in the country, including as regards criminal investigations. In line with Armenia’s international commitments and legal framework, such investigations should be carried out in an independent and impartial manner, free from political considerations.”

(Edited by Andreas Illmer)