Eric Hacopian
By Eric Hacopian
Armenia is experiencing dangerous democratic backsliding, and we need to call it what it is. Under the guise of fighting Russian interference, our government is criminalizing political opposition in ways that mirror Turkey's authoritarian playbook.
What we're witnessing is textbook democratic erosion. The government is lifting immunity from opposition MPs—exactly what goes on in Turkey. Some of these people have been in office for four years, and now you get around to doing this a year before the election?
Yes, Russian interference is real. We all know there are influencers and media outlets pushing an anti-Western, pro-Russian line. But that reality cannot become an excuse to resort to borderline undemocratic methods. What we have is a government willing to criminalize the opposition using Russian interference as justification.
Here's my greatest fear: what we could have is that this supposed coup attempt—and there's probably something to it if you look at all the evidence—might become the Gülen case of Armenia. For those unfamiliar, Turkey used its 2016 coup attempt as justification for years of prosecuting anyone the government didn't like. Tens of thousands were dismissed, arrested, or prosecuted on often tenuous connections to the alleged plotters. This is exactly the precedent we're setting. This possible coup attempt could be used for years to go after and prosecute people that this government doesn't like. We're creating a system where the government can come up with a case against anybody they don't like, all under the banner of national security.
Don't expect Western intervention. The West doesn't care if Armenia is a democracy—they care that Armenia is pro-Western. What's the difference between Belarus and Azerbaijan? Lukashenko is in many ways better than Ilham Aliyev, but he's under sanctions while Aliyev isn't, simply because Aliyev positions himself as pro-Western. The West didn't bring us democracy, we did, and only we can preserve it.
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