Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan, in a Facebook post, commented on the criminal case against businessman Samvel Karapetyan, stating that “the legal absurdity against Karapetyan began with the Prosecutor General herself, which is unprecedented.”

“Just recently, I was informed that Prosecutor General Vardapetyan commented on my reporting regarding her role in initiating an obviously unlawful prosecution against Samvel Karapetyan. Since I published this information, I consider her response a direct reply to me. Although, from her statement, I heard more of a confirmation than a denial of the assertion I made. So let’s record the following once again:

The motion submitted by the investigator to the court for pretrial detention explicitly stated: ‘A proper report on the alleged crime submitted by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia on June 17, 2025.’

Furthermore, the court's justification for reasonable suspicion cited: ‘specifically, the report on the alleged crime submitted by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia on June 17, 2025.’

It’s clear the investigator specifically emphasized the ‘proper’ nature of the Prosecutor General’s report, while the court chose not to use that terminology.

Therefore, let us reiterate: the legal absurdity against Samvel Karapetyan was initiated by the Prosecutor General herself, which is unprecedented. It stands as yet another instance of political persecution, which is undeniable.

Moreover, in a case concerning a medium-gravity offense, nothing was said about the arrest of Samvel Karapetyan, a person with no prior convictions, or about how this undermines the rule of law,” Vardevanyan wrote.

On June 18, Samvel Karapetyan was detained for two months and transferred to Armavir Penitentiary for “making a public call aimed at usurping the powers of the Armenian government.”

A few hours earlier, Karapetyan had voiced his support for the Armenian Apostolic Church, stating: “I stand with our Church, with our people… Everything will be fine, the people will have their say, and they’ll realize they were wrong.”

In response, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote: “Why have the wicked ‘clergy’ and their wicked ‘philanthropists’ become so active? No worries, we’ll silence them again. This time for good.” He later added that the ENA must be nationalized, and urgently.