Armenian activist Vahagn Chakhalyan placed in solitary confinement, lawyer says

An Armenian opposition activist detained in connection with an alleged coup plot has been placed in solitary confinement without justification, according to his lawyer.

Vahagn Chakhalyan, a public figure and one of the defendants in the so-called “Case of the 18 Righteous”, was moved to solitary confinement at the Nubarashen Penitentiary, human rights lawyer Ruben Melikyan said on Facebook on Saturday.

Chakhalyan was detained in July on charges of plotting terrorism and seeking to overthrow the government as part of a criminal probe into an alleged coup attempt by the Holy Struggle movement.

In his post, Melikyan described the activist as “a tireless fighter against the anti-Armenian regime” and called his transfer to solitary confinement unjustified.

The lawyer also called on the public to closely monitor the situation and shared a message from Chakhalyan sent from prison, in which the activist called for the release of all political prisoners in Armenia.