‘Our struggle will continue daily until Samvel Karapetyan is immediately and unconditionally released’ – Robert Amsterdam

The results of the latest court hearing clearly showed that the case against philanthropist and businessman Samvel Karapetyan has absolutely nothing to do with law or justice, renowned American lawyer and international human rights advocate Robert Amsterdam stated on Facebook.

“The Anti-Corruption Court partially granted the investigative body’s motion and extended Mr. Karapetyan’s detention by 30 days. This is both a victory and yet another proof of blatant violations of legal norms.

Dismissal of Charges
The court did not confirm the economic charges of ‘tax evasion’ and ‘money laundering’ hastily brought by the investigators, noting that they failed to meet even the threshold of reasonable suspicion. Our consistent claims that these allegations were politically motivated have now been validated.

Political Tool
The extension of detention was based solely on the political charge of ‘incitement to seize power.’ This once again demonstrates that the Armenian authorities are holding Mr. Karapetyan as a political hostage—because of his defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church and his political aspirations.

Legal Absurdity
In a country that claims to uphold democratic values, it is shameful to jail a civilian based on such a weak and fabricated case. We will continue our strategy of legal and international pressure. Our appeal to the European Union and international organizations to recognize Samvel Karapetyan as a political prisoner remains active and is being vigorously pursued.

The Armenian authorities must understand that we will not remain silent. Our struggle will continue daily until Samvel Karapetyan is immediately and unconditionally released,” the lawyer emphasized.