The "Strong Armenia" party holds Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responsible for the death of Arsen Gevorgyan, its candidate in the Stepanavan mayoral election, who passed away while in custody.

Although the prime minister’s surname is not explicitly mentioned in a post published on the opposition party’s Facebook page, the target of the accusation is clear, given the context and the party’s previous statements.

"It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death in custody of Arsen Gevorgyan, the 'Strong Armenia' party’s candidate for the local government elections in Stepanavan. He had been arrested by the authorities on the eve of the election, following a smear campaign based on baseless accusations. The person responsible for the death of yet another opposition figure in prison is the very individual at whose behest hundreds of people have been subjected to unfounded discrediting and arrests. The 'Strong Armenia' party expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Arsen Gevorgyan," the party stated.

Previously, on October 21, "Strong Armenia" had already leveled accusations against the head of government. Following the detention of Gevorgyan and other representatives of the political group, the party asserted that Nikol Pashinyan realizes he cannot win a fair election without artificial interference. In the same statement, the opposition members accused the authorities of using state institutions to maintain power and attempting to discredit their political rivals.

46-year-old Arsen Gevorgyan was detained on October 21—four days before the municipal elections—and was subsequently placed in pre-trial detention for two months. He was charged with vote-buying as part of a group. On November 10, Nelli Avetisyan, head of the party’s communications and public relations department, announced the politician’s death in a pre-trial detention center. According to her, the cause was cardiac arrest.