Former ombudsman says Samvel Karapetyan is a 'hostage'

Former Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, who currently heads the Wings of Unity political movement, claims that detained businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan is not only a “political prisoner” but also a “hostage”.

Speaking outside the Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday, Tatoyan said Karapetyan’s prosecution was “a politically motivated process disguised in legal terms” aimed at stopping his political activity and support for the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“There is no law in this case, only a political order,” Tatoyan said, calling the charges part of the Armenian government’s anti-church campaign.

Tatoyan also condemned the recent detention of senior clerics from the Aragatsotn Diocese, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of overstepping his powers. “He acts as a judge, prosecutor and investigator. His actions against the church have become a matter of defending Christianity itself,” he said.

According to Tatoyan, the government is using criminal law "as a tool of repression", citing church searches and closures as examples. “These are our sacred places, we do not touch the altar,” he said.