Vartan Ghukasyan will remain in custody following a ruling by a Las Vegas court, which denied his lawyers’ request for his immediate release. His attorney, Levon Baghdasaryan, confirmed the decision, according to RFE/RL.

Ghukasyan’s legal team intends to appeal the ruling and is currently reviewing the court’s justification.

The lawyer also clarified that this decision is unrelated to Ghukasyan's potential extradition. Hearings on that matter are still ongoing.

The Las Vegas court examined the issue of Ghukasyan’s detention yesterday. He has been in custody for a month, and the judge took time to deliberate before issuing a ruling.

According to U.S. Customs and Immigration authorities, Ghukasyan was arrested on February 20 for violating immigration regulations. American officials state that he entered the U.S. on February 19, 2022, but failed to leave within the permitted period. In addition to the immigration violation, the court must also review a 2023 request from the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office for his extradition.