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PanArmenian March 22, 2017

The arrest of opposition activist Samvel Babayan has obvious political overtones and is directed against the free expression of will of our citizens ahead of parliamentary elections, the Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanian (ORO) bloc said in a statement on Wednesday, March 22.

Babayan who served as former minister of defence of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), the army commander of Liberation Army, was arrested with two others for smuggling Igla anti-aircraft missile system parts from Georgia, the Armenian national security service said.

"The move was being prepared with the help of some public figures, as well as through various pro-government media outlets," the bloc said.

"We call upon the international community, observers and diplomatic missions to keep this case in the center of attention as it obviously has political overtones and is directed against the free expression of our citizens' will."

"We call on the political parties, human rights organizations, civil society and our compatriots of Artsakh and the Diaspora to make an adequate assessment of what happened," the statement went on to say.

Babayan is an active supporter, but not a member of Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanyan opposition bloc, which is led by Armenia's former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan and two former foreign ministers - Raffi Hovannisyan and Vardan Oskanyan.