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Akbar Novruz

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Armenia’s Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan has compared opposition figures facing terrorism-related charges and alleged attempts to overthrow the government to al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, triggering a heated exchange in parliament.

The remarks came during a debate over the nomination of opposition Armenia Alliance MP Lilit Galstyan to chair the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs.

Aleksanyan referred to Galstyan’s previous statements defending several opposition figures facing criminal charges, including former Armenia Alliance MP Artur Sargsyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. Galstyan had said she considered her colleagues not guilty of the crimes attributed to them.

Aleksanyan then asked whether she would make the same assessment if Osama bin Laden had been convicted by an Armenian court.

“I do not see any difference between them,” Aleksanyan said, drawing an angry response from Galstyan.

Galstyan described the comparison as unacceptable and said it was insulting to her as a believer in the Armenian Apostolic Church. She declined to answer the question further.

The exchange relates to a criminal case stemming from an alleged plan to overthrow Armenia’s government that first emerged publicly in June 2024. The case was followed by searches, arrests and detentions involving figures associated with the Holy Struggle movement.

Among those arrested was Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the former head of the Tavush Diocese and a prominent opposition figure. He was charged with terrorism-related offences and attempting to seize state power.

In June 2026, Armenia’s Court of Appeals replaced Galstanyan’s pre-trial detention with house arrest after ruling that there were insufficient grounds to keep him in custody. He had spent approximately a year under detention.