Protesters in Yerevan demanded the release of political prisoners.

A protest march demanding the release of political prisoners, organized by the Armenian opposition, began at the Prosecutor General's Office and ended at the courthouse, where another hearing was underway in the case of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, accused of plotting a coup d'état. The court mitigated the pretrial detention of three defendants.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," a Yerevan court extended the pretrial detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, accused of plotting a coup d'état, for another three months. On June 25, security forces conducted more than 90 searches in connection with the plot to seize power in Armenia. By a court decision, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the Sacred Struggle movement, and 14 other people have been remanded in custody. A day earlier, on June 24, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the prevention of a coup and published a document containing the text of the opposition's alleged plan to remove him from power.

Protesters in Yerevan on November 20 demanded freedom for political prisoners, protection of freedom of speech, and democracy, and spoke out against the dictatorship in Armenia.

The protest began at 3:00 PM (2:00 PM Moscow time) local time near the building of the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia. After a short rally, the protesters marched to the courthouse in the Shengavit district of Yerevan, where the trial of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the "Sacred Struggle" movement, and other members of the movement was underway on charges of preparing a terrorist attack and attempting to seize power. People carried a large banner reading "Freedom for Political Prisoners" and photographs of political prisoners.

The more than three-hour protest under the slogan "Freedom for Political Prisoners" was organized by Armenian opposition forces, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Amid the ongoing protest, Judge Karen Farkhoyan ruled to change the pretrial detention of Armen Aleksanyan, Arsen Ghazaryan, and several other defendants.

According to Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a member of the Armenia parliamentary faction, "the protest was organized in defense of all political prisoners, in defense of freedom of speech, democracy, and against dictatorship in Armenia."

"Today's judicial and legal system in Armenia has become a blunt instrument in the hands of the current authorities, for the establishment of sole power in the country, for suppression, and for arrests on false and fabricated charges," Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a member of the Armenia faction, told reporters.

According to him, in Armenia "there are more than fifty political prisoners who are in captivity because they have their own position, fight for Armenian identity, and disagree with the anti-Armenian policies pursued by the current authorities."

"Under popular pressure, this government must understand that the legal system must operate freely and independently. This is not the case in Armenia." "The government must feel the pressure of society and not ignore the opinions of citizens when making decisions about the fate of an entire nation," said Garnik Danielyan, an MP from the Armenia faction.

Artsvik Minasyan, an MP from the Armenia faction, stated at the rally that "our compatriots are being subjected to illegal criminal prosecution and deprived of their freedom."

He called on the prosecutor's office to remember that it "is obligated to monitor the legality of the punishment and coercion measures applied, and not to violate the main law of Armenia - the Constitution," and called for a demand that "the Prosecutor General's Office and prosecutors fulfill their constitutional duties and the oath they have taken."

Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia Armen Ashotyan said that “the people who are currently being tried are being accused unfairly and illegally.” He added that "in Armenia, the institution of political prisoners began to exist in 2018, with the advent of the current government."

"The state regime is moving towards increasing the number of political prisoners, sowing an atmosphere of fear and increasing despair among the people. They started with the spiritual and national elite. If our citizens who are free do not raise their voices of protest, neither international structures nor any other structure will pay attention. It is necessary to increase pressure on the authorities so that they feel the voice of public discontent," said Eduard Sharmazanov, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia, during the ongoing rally.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in mid-October, security forces detained Galstanyan's lawyer, Alexander Kochubaev, after a hearing in the case. The Investigative Committee cited a criminal case for the disclosure of defamatory information as the reason. and reported that Kochubayev had been taken into custody.

In 2024, Bagrat Galstanyan led the "Tavush in the Name of the Motherland" movement (later renamed "Sacred Struggle"), whose participants protested the transfer of border territories to Azerbaijan. More details on the case of Galstanyan and other political opponents of the current government are available in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Main Thing About Political Arrests in Armenia in Summer 2025".