While there are many unanswered questions about the fighting – the worst since the 1994 ceasefire – some think a new parliament commission is about scoring political points.
Previous prosecutions in the case had been against high-level officials, opening the government up to charges it was pursuing a political vendetta rather than justice.
Some opposed the decision, saying other Armenian athletes braved the hostile environment. Others said he should have taken a stronger stand against Azerbaijani discrimination against ethnic Armenians.
An exchange of Armenian and Azerbaijani detainees could help build trust to make further progress in peace negotiations – but it could also exacerbate tensions.
The Armenian prime minister blamed “remnants of the corrupt system” for trying to use the exchange with his Russian counterpart to mock him on social media.
The prime minister has long had a confrontational attitude toward critical press. Now he has escalated the fight by involving the security services and arresting the operator of a satirical site.
Pashinyan and other members of the new government have repeatedly framed the country’s economic problems, and the solutions required, in moral and psychological terms.
