Double standards of the EU in action The “Ghukasyan case” and Brussels’ silence

A recent incident in Armenia has sparked widespread public outrage. It began early in the morning on October 20, when law enforcement officers arrived at the Gyumri City Hall. Special forces sealed off all entrances and exits, while local residents gathered outside in protest, leading to clashes with the police. Footage of the violent dispersal of the spontaneous demonstration quickly circulated across Armenian media outlets.

During the operation, special forces detained Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and transferred him to Yerevan. Later, the Anti-Corruption Court ordered his two-month pre-trial detention. In total, 33 other individuals were also taken into custody.

Almost everyone in Armenia has now spoken out about the arrest of the lawfully elected mayor. Former politician and current lawyer representing Ghukasyan’s interests, Zaruhi Postanjyan, told reporters that the case is clearly fabricated and politically motivated. According to her, its purpose is to strip Gyumri of its self-governance and sow chaos in Armenia’s second-largest city. She also revealed that the opposition mayor’s phone conversations were wiretapped by court order just days after his election.

“I can only assume that court orders now exist permitting surveillance and investigative operations in the homes of any opposition politician or public official, including local leaders,” she said. “This means the authorities are intruding into people’s private lives through the systematic use of such judicial measures.”

As for Ghukasyan himself, he claims that the authorities’ goal is to arrest him, remove his deputy, and impose temporary administration in order to organise the 2026 elections. It is worth recalling that Ghukasyan won the elections to the Gyumri Council of Elders held in April, defeating the candidate from Sarik Minasyan’s party. This came as a shock to members of the Civil Contract party, as it was from Gyumri that the “My Step” march began on 31 March 2018.

At that time, Armenian MP Nikol Pashinyan, dressed in a khaki T-shirt and carrying a backpack, led a small group of supporters on foot toward Yerevan to protest against Serzh Sargsyan’s manipulation—his attempt to move from the presidential chair to the prime minister’s office. Two weeks later, after passing through dozens of towns and villages, this small group had turned into a massive popular movement. In the end, Sargsyan resigned, and Pashinyan became prime minister.

We recall these historical facts to illustrate how sensitive the ruling party in Armenia was to its defeat in the April elections — a defeat so painful that several of its members have already rushed to publicly label Ghukasyan a criminal. In response, during a session of the National Assembly, Artsvik Minasyan, secretary of the opposition Armenia faction, addressed the Civil Contract deputies, stating: “You must not violate the presumption of innocence.”

Of course, we are well aware of what the Armenia faction represents — a gathering of rabid revanchists. We also remember that Ghukasyan’s biography clearly states that “since 1988, he participated in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and assisted the Armenian armed forces.” In other words, we have no illusions about who this individual is, nor about the political forces defending him. However, whichever way one looks at it, Ghukasyan was lawfully elected as mayor.

What stands out most in this situation, however, is the deafening silence of European institutions — the very same ones that once attacked Azerbaijan with foam at the mouth, without the slightest justification. It is enough to recall the uproar in the European Parliament when Azerbaijan liberated its ancestral lands and restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty — actions, let us emphasise, fully in line with the norms and principles of international law. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) even went as far as to strip the Azerbaijani delegation of its voting rights.

And where are the statements now from French, German, Belgian, and other politicians who built their careers — and not only political ones — on smearing Azerbaijan? What prevents them from criticising the Armenian leadership for arresting the lawfully elected mayor of Gyumri? Where are the international human rights organisations, of all stripes, that now remain conspicuously silent and refuse to comment on the situation?

All this demonstrates the persistence of the notorious “double standards” — a clear example of how hypocritical and deceitful are those who make it their mission to vilify Azerbaijan while stubbornly turning a blind eye to the shortcomings of other countries, particularly Armenia.