Aravot.am has an interview with Founder and Managing Partner Amsterdam & Partners LLP Robert R. AMSTERDAM.
-You claim that elections in Armenia are taking place under unequal political conditions. What do you see as the primary risk that could impact the free and fair nature of the June 7th elections, and do international observers pay sufficient attention to these issues?
-This is not merely my personal assertion; it is the glaring reality visible to any independent observer willing to look at the ongoing processes in Armenia with open eyes. When we speak of the June 7th elections, we are not discussing a standard political competition. We are talking about a situation where the incumbent government is deploying the full arsenal of administrative resources to silence dissenting voices, isolate political opponents, and instill an atmosphere of fear among the public. Is this your concept of democracy?
In the report recently published by our firm, we utilized concrete, factual data to draw attention to an exceedingly dangerous trend: the overt interference in these electoral processes by the West, and particularly by the European Union. This directly undermines and runs counter to the very values, proclaimed principles, and international obligations that the EU itself espouses. Look at how they operate at the level of numbers. Ahead of the elections, they are trying to feed us fabricated statistics, where international platforms—from Euronews to IRI-are blatantly working in favor of the authorities. One rushes to prematurely crown the incumbent prime minister, while the other attributes a ridiculous 6 percent to ‘Strong Armenia.’ And this is at a time when the actual picture on the ground is completely different, and any independent local poll proves that support for ‘Strong Armenia’ is four times higher and does not fall below 25 percent. To call this an oversight would be sheer naivety; this is a deliberate information warfare operation.
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When institutions considered reputable throw out fake data so detached from reality, it ceases to be sociology. This is a specific tool of psychological pressure, the sole purpose of which is to break the will of the Armenian voter, to despair them, and to force them to believe that everything has already been decided for them. They want people to stay at home because they fear the real vote of the Armenian citizen. This is the most cynical and dangerous modus operandi ever witnessed against the right to vote․ As for international observers, I have decades of experience and know exactly how international bureaucracy operates. Unfortunately, international institutions all too often prefer to be guided by geopolitical expediency rather than democratic values. They sometimes choose to “turn a blind eye” to domestic authoritarian tendencies for the sake of an illusion of stability. However, we must exert every effort to ensure that this silence does not serve as a breeding ground for dangerous developments. We will do everything in our power to compel the international community to witness and record every single violation. Democracy cannot be a one-way street, and we must not allow the voting rights of Armenian citizens to be stolen under the guise of legal arbitrariness.
-Recently in Armenia, and particularly over the last few days, a number of opposition figures have fallen into the crosshairs of law enforcement agencies, with searches and other investigative actions being conducted at their homes. Given the upcoming elections, do you view this as a series of isolated legal processes, or rather as a deliberate trend aimed at influencing the electoral environment, restricting the opposition’s capabilities, and creating an atmosphere of fear?
-As an international lawyer, I have seen the playbook of numerous authoritarian regimes throughout my career, and one would have to be incredibly naive to view this as a “series of isolated legal processes.” What is happening in Armenia today is an overt, coordinated, and premeditated campaign designed to exert pressure on the electoral environment and paralyze the opposition. Look at the facts. With only days left before the elections, the entire law enforcement apparatus-from the police to investigative bodies- has been mobilized to exert harsh pressure on one specific opposition force. The egregious arrest of Alik Aleksanyan, one of the party’s key and most active members, along with the mass searches and investigative actions conducted at the homes of opposition figures, are no coincidence. Why now? Because the incumbent government fears political competition and is attempting to instil an atmosphere of fear among the public. This is a flagrant abuse of the state apparatus, aimed at restricting the opposition’s capabilities and preventing citizens from freely expressing their will on June 7th. All of this is being executed under the guise of “democracy,” but in reality, it directly violates the fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law. When the legal system ceases to protect the citizen and transforms into a tool for political persecution, it marks the beginning of a state’s collapse. The Armenian people must not allow this lawlessness to continue. Every single search and every illegal arrest is being meticulously documented by our team and will be presented to all international bodies as undeniable evidence of the blatant subversion of the electoral process and political repression in Armenia.
-Prior to the elections, when the Prime Minister employs harsh formulations towards political opponents, such as “locking them up,” “bringing them to their knees,” and other aggressive language, is this aligned with international standards for free and fair elections, or can such rhetoric be viewed as a means to foster an atmosphere of administrative and political pressure?
-Let’s call a spade a spade: such vocabulary and rhetoric not only have absolutely nothing to do with international standards for free and fair elections, but they also directly undermine the very foundations of a democratic state. When the Prime Minister of a country uses street slang and aggressive expressions like “locking them up,” “bringing them to their knees,” or similar language against political opponents, it is not merely tough talk. This is an overt threat issued at the highest state level and a direct tool used to cultivate an immense atmosphere of administrative and political pressure. From the perspective of international law, the head of the executive branch has no right to act as judge or prosecutor and publicly decide who to imprison and who not to. By doing so, he issues direct directives to the law enforcement system and the courts, which, as we can see, immediately proceed to execute those commands by carrying out unlawful searches and arrests. This represents a complete absence of the rule of law, where justice is replaced by the political caprice and vendetta of a single individual. Such aggressive rhetoric aims to intimidate not only opposition figures but also ordinary citizens. It sends a message to the public that the government is prepared to resort to any lawlessness to maintain its grip on power. Every such statement by the Prime Minister is being documented by our team and will be presented to the international community, European institutions, and human rights organizations as evidence that the elections in Armenia are taking place under conditions of political terror and a state-sponsored atmosphere of fear. The democratic world must stop pretending it does not hear this authoritarian rhetoric.
-You represent the interests of Samvel Karapetyan, who has become one of the most widely discussed figures of the opposition. To what extent do you believe the cases launched and the restrictions imposed against him affect the leveling of the pre-electoral playing field, and what kind of precedent could this set for future elections?
-The trumped-up cases launched and the unlawful restrictions imposed against Samvel Karapetyan not only undermine the leveling of the pre-electoral playing field but also directly demonstrate that the incumbent regime is in a state of utter panic. As the defender of his interests on the international stage, I say this with absolute confidence: when a government lacks political arguments and compelling ideas, it resorts to the abuse of the legal system in an attempt to isolate its most formidable opponent. But look at what is actually happening. Despite all the artificial barriers and the unlawful restrictions imposed on his movement, speech, and activities, Samvel Karapetyan has done and continues to do everything in his power to ensure that his programs and messages reach every citizen of Armenia. And those messages have already hit their mark. People are listening, they understand, and they are rallying around the vision he offers for the country’s future. If his voice were not getting through, if his influence were not this powerful, we would not be witnessing the government’s hysterical and panic-driven reaction today, manifested through mass searches and arrests. Their fear is the best proof that Samvel Karapetyan’s political weight and influence cannot be halted by any judicial machination. This sets a terrible and dangerous precedent for future elections. If the international community remains silent today and allows such authoritarian methods to be deployed against a leading opposition figure right before an election, then the very concept of “free elections” in Armenia will be permanently dead. This establishes a precedent whereby any future government can simply manufacture criminal cases to sideline any inconvenient candidate from the race. We will exert every effort to prevent this dangerous precedent from becoming Armenia’s political reality. We are going to break the chains of this legal terror, because Samvel Karapetyan stands backed by the trust of the people, and that is far more powerful than any administrative pressure.
-The elections are viewed by many as Armenia’s geopolitical choice between the West and Russia. Do you agree with this assessment?
-No, I categorically disagree with that approach. This is a false agenda forced upon us by external forces and the incumbent government in an attempt to divide the public. As I clearly stated in my recent announcement, this is not a geopolitical choice between the West and Russia. This is a choice between domestic terror and authoritarianism, and the rule of law and genuine democracy. On June 7th, the citizens of Armenia will not be voting for the interests of Washington, Brussels, or Moscow, but rather for their own country’s sovereignty, security, and justice. The right to return the country to a path of stable development and to put an end to legal arbitrariness belongs solely to the Armenian people, and no external player has the right to turn this process into a geopolitical commodity.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
