Aram Vardevanyan, attorney for Artur Sargsyan, a member of the opposition Hayastan bloc in parliament, stated that the charges against his client “lack grounds and sufficient justification.” He made the comments outside the Avan branch of the Court of General Jurisdiction, where a hearing on Sargsyan's detention was underway.

He highlighted flaws in the transcriptions of recordings presented as evidence, noting phrases like “the voice is inaudible” or “the voice is unintelligible,” adding that these gaps could significantly alter the meaning of the conversations. “Even the Prosecutor General, while not ruling that out, tries to spin it into a different context, which doesn’t work based on the materials available,” Vardevanyan told Panorama.am .

He emphasized that the accusations pertain to alleged preparation, not attempted or completed criminal acts. At such a stage, law enforcement must demonstrate concrete preventive actions or else justify whether the suspect voluntarily withdrew from the crime—something he said the case materials do not address.

According to the lawyer, there is no evidence in the detention motion that Sargsyan intended to recruit protesters into “strike groups.”

Vardevanyan recalled the 2018 protests in France Square, during which group resistance to police occurred, yet no legal action was taken then, not even administrative.

“How can it be that in the so-called bastion of democracy, the standards change? I leave that to the public to judge, but I’ll reiterate: the charges being pursued lack foundation and justification. Once again, we’re talking about alleged preparation, based solely on casual conversations,” he said.

Garnik Danielyan, another MP from the Hayastan faction, asserted that the arrested individuals are not terrorists and had committed no illegal acts.

“My friends are Artur Sargsyan, Igor Sargsyan, Ara Rostomyan, and the archbishop is my spiritual father and relative. I’ve gained hundreds, if not thousands, of friends through this struggle. If they’re terrorists, then I’m a terrorist too,” he stated.

Danielyan accused the authorities of fostering a climate of fear to pressure others. “The same bishop’s residence has seen hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors. They are not terrorists—they are devoted Armenians, and we will stand by them and support them. Today, anyone who acts for the homeland ends up imprisoned. Samvel Karapetyan is a vivid example of this,” he said.

He added that the detained members of the Sacred Struggle movement have called from prison to continue the struggle and achieve their goals.

On the morning of June 25, law enforcement began conducting searches at the homes of Sacred Struggle movement supporters. The Investigative Committee alleged that members and leaders of the movement had “planned to carry out terrorist activities and seize power in Armenia.” Later, it was announced that movement leader Archbishop Bagrat had been detained for two months, along with 14 others.