Legal expert and former acting director of the National Security Service (NSS), Mikayel Hambardzumyan, has described the recent developments involving businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan as without precedent. According to him, this is a unique case in which law enforcement authorities initiated prosecution against an individual merely for expressing an opinion—just hours after it was voiced.

He emphasized that in his view, “reasonable and experienced security officials would not have involved themselves in such a process.”

“This is an unprecedented case, a situation where law enforcement begins persecution within hours, solely because of an opinion or thought expressed. And this is not based on the content of the statement itself, but rather tied to some alleged offense that suddenly emerged at the same moment,” Hambardzumyan wrote on Facebook.

He added that a subsequent public political post confirms a cause-and-effect link between the public statement and a potential arrest.

“In all my professional experience, I have never encountered such an outrageous situation. Legal and security actions were always organized in a way to avoid links to political processes and prevent their exploitation,” he noted.

“Our homeland is in deep crisis—characterized by typical clashes and consequences. Today, the real picture is much clearer. Therefore, reasonable and experienced security officials would not have participated in this process,” Hambardzumyan concluded.

Political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan wrote on Facebook that the recent dismissal of NSS Director Armen Abazyan is believed to be connected to his refusal to act against businessman Samvel Karapetyan.

He also mentioned earlier reports suggesting that “the NSS had declined to take action against citizens welcoming the Catholicos at the airport.”