Samvel Karapetyan's Lawyer Discusses Real Reasons for Detention

Businessman Samvel Karapetyan's lawyer Aram Vardevanyan has written:

“Since June 18, 2025, Samvel Karapetyan has been unlawfully detained. The only 'condition' for five months of detention has been a public statement regarding participation in the defense of the Mother See 'in our way.' The only basis for the detention, according to the decision made on November 18, 2025, has been the risk of obstruction, which, according to the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, and in line with the longstanding and stable case law of the European Court, can be mitigated through other measures. This means that the Court found no other risks present, yet detention was still applied. This decision by the Court was appealed on November 21, 2025. Our appeal has been assigned to Judge Zh. Meliksetyan of the Court of Appeals for Anti-Corruption Cases.

A few notes: 1) The unlawful detention of Samvel Karapetyan for more than five months is direct evidence of repressive approaches and political persecution. 2) Direct evidence of repressive approaches and political persecution is that no other coercive measures have been applied against Samvel Karapetyan until now; a group of 53 investigators has failed to conduct the preliminary investigation properly. 3) Following the decision of November 18, 2025, a number of motions were submitted to the investigative group consisting of 53 investigators to carry out procedural actions for ensuring diligence, rather than for its failure, yet decisive inaction is present.”