The first-instance court granted a motion to change the preventive measure applied to Narek Samsonyan, co-host of the Imnemnimi podcast, replacing house arrest with administrative supervision, his lawyer Ruben Melikyan said in a Facebook video statement.

“Administrative supervision has been imposed with a ban on public speech,” Melikyan noted.

The lawyer added that the defense will continue to seek the acquittal of Samsonyán and Vazgen Saghatelyan, insisting that there is no corpus delicti in their actions. He also said that international organizations have reacted to the case.

“We will continue to maintain our position that the court must deliver an acquittal, as it did in the first case,” Melikyan stated.

He also expressed hope for Saghatelyan’s release, calling it “deeply unjust” that he remains in detention.

Narek Samsonyán and Vazgen Saghatelyan, co-hosts of the “Imnemnimi” podcast, were detained on November 13. On January 9, the court extended their detention by three months. After the ruling, Samsonyán announced an indefinite hunger strike, demanding the proceedings be halted. After 15 days, he was transferred to the Izmirlian Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. His detention was later replaced by strict house arrest by an appellate court decision.