Wiretaps, arrests, and selective justice: Who is listening to whom, and why?

Wiretapping is a criminal offense. The law allows recordings only by court order as part of a secret investigative procedure. However, in Armenia, most of the recent political arrests have been carried out based on wiretapped recordings.

The most recent example is the case of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan. Pro-government media outlets published a recording that later served as the basis for the Anti-Corruption Committee and, subsequently, the court’s decision to remand him in custody.