Armen Ashotyan, Vice President of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), criticized the extension of detention for "Imnemnimi" podcast co-hosts Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan, calling it “yet another mockery of justice” in a Facebook post.

He also called on Narek Samsonyan to end his declared hunger strike.

“Despite the multiple facts and arguments presented by the boys and their lawyers during the hearing, the judge extended their unlawful detention by another three months without blinking an eye,” Ashotyan wrote.

“Once again, the U.S. State Department was right when it noted in its 2023 Human Rights Report that Armenia’s judiciary is ‘politicized, corrupt, and dependent.’ Unfortunately, those were just words...

Institutions of the judiciary, now turned into a punitive tool for Nikol, serve to carry out political repression, ‘cleanse’ the public space, and reinforce a climate of fear.

To the guys — and all political prisoners — I wish strength and freedom.

And to Narek, I publicly ask you to stop your hunger strike.

Dear Narek, you know very well our struggle is long, and you must remain strong not just in spirit, but in body too,” the post reads.

Yerevan’s Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Manvel Shahverdyan, extended the detention of “Imnemnimi” podcast co-hosts Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan by three months. Narek announced an indefinite hunger strike during the hearing.

The podcast hosts were arrested based on a complaint filed by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.