Samvel Karapetyan’s detention extended

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court has extended the pre-trial detention of businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan by 30 days. The decision, made by judge Vahe Dolmazyan early on Thursday, partially granted the investigator’s request for a two-month extension.

Karapetyan’s lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, said the court acknowledged that the charges in the second and third episodes of the case did not meet even the threshold of “reasonable suspicion”. He criticized the continued detention, calling it illogical and politically motivated.

Karapetyan’s prosecution began on June 17, a day after he made public remarks defending the Armenian Apostolic Church. “I have always stood by our church and people,” he said at the time. “If politicians fail, we will intervene in the campaign against the church in our own way.”

Prosecutors accuse him of making a public call for the seizure of power in Armenia during the interview. His detention was first ordered on June 18 and extended in August for two months before the latest decision.

The court reiterated that while there is no solid evidence on the economic allegations, it still considers the interview remarks relevant to the charge.