Armenian Parliament strips opposition lawmakers of parliamentary immunity

The Armenian National Assembly has voted to strip Seyran Ohanyan, head of the opposition "Armenia" faction and a former Defence Minister accused of war crimes, of his parliamentary immunity.

The motion to remove Ohanyan’s immunity was submitted by Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan. A secret ballot was held, with 59 out of 107 MPs voting in favour and none opposing the motion, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

In a separate vote, Parliament also revoked the parliamentary immunity of Artsvik Minasyan, secretary of the "Armenia" faction, under similar circumstances. The decision was also passed by a secret ballot with 59 votes in favour and zero against.

This development follows Prosecutor General Vardapetyan’s earlier formal motion seeking to strip Minasyan’s immunity as part of a growing criminal investigation linked to Ohanyan.

The case centres on allegations of illegal appropriation of a 10,500-square-meter land plot in the Drakhtik community of Gegharkunik region, located within the protected Sevan National Park. Prosecutors claim that during his tenure as Defence Minister, Ohanyan illegally built a private mansion on this land using public funds.

Minasyan, who served as Minister of Nature Protection from 2016 to 2018, is accused of failing to respond lawfully to Ohanyan’s actions. Instead, prosecutors allege he actively concealed the offense by issuing construction permits to associates of Ohanyan and facilitating the falsification of official documents.

The opposition had initially staged a walkout in protest of the proceedings against Ohanyan, whom authorities have labeled a war criminal, but later returned to participate in the parliamentary votes on the new motions.

By Khagan Isayev