Due to purely political persecution, Samvel Karapetyan has been unlawfully detained for 70 days – Aram Vardevanyan

Since June 18, 2025, Samvel Karapetyan has been held under the clearly unlawful detention—solely for speaking out in defense of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin during an interview, lawyer Aram Vardevanyan said on his Facebook page.

“The appeal against the Anti-Corruption Court’s decision to extend the clearly unlawful detention was initially submitted to Judge Armen Danielyan, but after a long delay, it was reassigned to Appellate Court Judge Zh. Meliksetyan. It is important to note that recently, the Anti-Corruption Chamber of the Cassation Court, having identified a violation of rights due to the extension of the arrest, issued a precedent-setting ruling. According to this decision, the principle of minimal intervention in criminal proceedings requires the use of alternative preventive measures. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court’s ruling on August 4, 2025, for the first time directly referenced ECHR rulings to affirm that the presumption of innocence must always favor the release of the detained individual.

Despite these clear legal safeguards, and without any lawful basis—due to purely political persecution—Samvel Karapetyan has now been unlawfully detained for nearly 70 days,” the lawyer wrote.