The Appeal Against Samvel Karapetyan's Detention Is Unclear Why, But Is Being Conducted in Writing, Says Lawyer

On June 17, 2025, the head of the executive branch made the following Facebook post: "Now I will intervene in my own way." This statement was clearly directed at a specific individual, and just hours after this remark, businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan was apparently detained illegally, a situation that persists to this day. This was stated by lawyer Aram Vardevanyan on his Facebook page.

“Anyone from the professional community can be asked: can the expression 'We will participate in the protection of the Church in our way' be a reason to initiate criminal proceedings or even justify someone's detention? These questions have unequivocal answers: 1) the criminal proceedings are illegal, 2) there is no connection to any article of the special part of the criminal code, 3) the detention is evidently illegal.

The obstacle to realizing these clear answers is the well-known statement made on June 17. It is in this that the undeniable nature of the political persecution of Samvel Karapetyan lies; it embodies revenge, and the detention serves as a punishment implemented by law enforcement agencies, despite the evident and various local and international obligations that explicitly prohibit this.”

The appellate court's examination of the clearly illegal and untenable detention, which has lasted for about 80 days, is being conducted in writing for reasons that remain unclear, with the publication date of the court decision set for September 8,” he wrote.