Edmon Marukyan, leader of the Bright Armenia party, stated on Telegram that businessman Samvel Karapetyan and Shirak Diocese leader Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan are political prisoners under the five criteria set out in Resolution 1900 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

He listed the five criteria defining a political prisoner:

1. The imprisonment violates freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion, expression, information, assembly, or association.
2. The imprisonment is solely motivated by political reasons, with no link to a legitimate offense.
3. The duration or conditions of imprisonment are clearly disproportionate to the alleged offense, driven by political motives.
4. The person is detained in a discriminatory manner, compared to others in similar situations.
5. The detention results from unfair legal proceedings, clearly linked to political motivations.

According to Marukyan, these criteria clearly apply to Karapetyan and Archbishop Ajapahyan, who he says are being persecuted not for any crime, but for their publicly expressed views and interviews.

He called Ajapahyan’s two-year sentence and Karapetyan’s illegal detention a warning sign of a dangerous trend in Armenia, where voices critical of the authorities are silenced and fundamental rights and democratic values are violated.

“These cases reflect democratic backsliding and a direct assault on freedom of speech,” Marukyan concluded.

Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was sentenced to two years in prison by a first instance court. Samvel Karapetyan, who publicly supported the Armenian Apostolic Church against government criticism, was initially detained on June 18 and remains in custody after his arrest was extended.