Armenia submits motion to strip opposition MP of parliamentary immunity

Armenia’s Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan on July 4 presented a motion in the National Assembly to remove parliamentary immunity from Seyran Ohanyan, head of the opposition "Armenia" faction, amid a criminal investigation into alleged land appropriation.

In protest against the move, opposition members walked out of the parliamentary session, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media. 

The case centers on the illegal seizure of 10,500 square meters of land in the Drakhtik community in the Gegharkunik region between 2010 and 2015, during Ohanyan’s tenure as Minister of Defence. Prosecutors allege that Ohanyan built a private mansion on the land using state resources.

The case also involves the faction’s secretary, Artsvik Minasyan, and a separate motion regarding him will be submitted later.

By Sabina Mammadli