There is a lot of misinformation being disseminated, starting from the authorities. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly today, responding to a question from deputy of the My Step faction Nazeli Baghdasaryan who said most citizens’ actions in this period are aimed at weakening the state apparatus and destroying certain state bodies and government agencies.

“It’s not only about misinformation, but also targeted actions. What I mentioned contains elements of Article 304 of the Criminal Code (crime against state security). Are police taking or will they take actions against this?” the deputy asked.

“Yes, there is a lot of misinformation being disseminated, starting from the authorities. The purpose is to create a confidence crisis. There are people who say my family and I have purchased a villa in Canada and are involved in smuggling. Can you imagine? In this regard, the Armenian legislation allows presses to be liberal, and I don’t think we need to make artificial changes. These phenomena are linked to several criminal cases that you know or don’t know about. Even if someone swears that I am making money on the side, know that it is a lie. That can’t happen simply because when I assumed the office of Prime Minister, I told the people that if I become involved in corruption, I will call on the citizens of Armenia to hang me at Republic Square in Yerevan,” Pashinyan said.