YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: It turns out that NA [(National Assembly)] president Alen Simonyan did everything so that [former deputy prime minister] Armen Gevorgyan, an MP from the [opposition] "Armenia" bloc, leave—as part of the Armenian delegation—for Strasbourg with his colleagues, from September 25 to October 1, to participate in the regular PACE session, but the court prohibited the MP from leaving Armenia.

It is known that Armen Gevorgyan is included in a criminal case, and the court has chosen a signature bond on not leaving the country as a precautionary measure against him. We have reflected on this issue that the opposition is being deprived of going on business trips. Before the PACE session, the NA president prepared a special note and petitioned the court to allow Gevorgyan to leave [Armenia to attend the PACE session], but Judge Anna Danibekyan denied [the petition].

It is clear that the judge did not make that decision on her own. It remains to find out why the person who gave instruction to her did not prevent the NA president’s step of submitting a petition, and why they put the judge in such a difficult situation.