Prominent lawyer expresses concern over Samvel Karapetyan's detention

Renowned Australian-British human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson KC has expressed serious concern over the excessively harsh legal measures taken against Armenian businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan. According to Karapetyan’s legal team, Robertson pointed to the politically motivated nature of the charges and procedural violations during the pre-trial phase.

“In Robertson’s assessment, the use of pre-trial detention based on false and insufficient justifications provided by the authorities, as well as unreasoned court decisions, violate the principle of the rule of law and the guarantees provided for by international law,” the legal team said in a statement on Thursday.

Robertson, the founder and head of Doughty Street Chambers, is currently considering joining Karapetyan’s international defense team and supporting submissions to global human rights bodies. The inclusion of Amal Clooney may also be formally explored at a later stage in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights.

Robertson is widely recognized for his longstanding advocacy for the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the rights of the Artsakh people. He previously represented Armenia alongside Amal Clooney in a landmark case on genocide denial.