Armenian Center for Political Rights, a watchdog organization focused on detecting, responding to, and preventing political persecution while safeguarding political rights, issued an urgent statement warning about threats made by Nikol Pashinyan against opposition figures ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections.

According to the statement, on May 18 — three weeks before the elections — Pashinyan threatened four opposition political figures with physical retaliation, three of whom lead political parties participating in the campaign.

The organization noted that Pashinyan attempted to justify the threats by referencing a video of unknown origin showing four masked and armed individuals threatening him. Without presenting evidence, Pashinyan allegedly attributed the video to the opposition and claimed his political rivals were backing the individuals shown.

The Armenian Center for Political Rights stated that previous threats made by Pashinyan have later been followed by actions from law enforcement bodies, arguing that such rhetoric during an election period raises serious concerns regarding the fairness of the electoral process and the ability of opposition forces to campaign under equal conditions.

The statement further warned that, given Pashinyan’s influence over law enforcement agencies and the judicial system, the May 18 remarks should be viewed seriously and interpreted as a warning of possible imminent political persecution.

Details and reasoning are available in the statement.