First hearing in Armenian opposition podcasters' case set for Jan. 9

The first court hearing in the case against opposition activists and podcasters Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan is scheduled for January 9.

Judge Manvel Shahverdyan will preside over the open session, which will determine whether the two men remain in pre-trial detention.

Samsonyan and Saghatelyan, co-hosts of the Imnemnimi podcast, have been detained since November 13 after sharply responding on air to offensive remarks made by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan. They face charges of hooliganism committed through communication technologies.

Lawyers and human rights advocates argue that the arrests amount to retaliation against free speech. In November, law enforcement officers also raided the headquarters of AntiFake.am, seizing equipment and briefly detaining two of its journalists.

Rights groups and opposition figures have condemned the case as politically motivated, describing it as part of a broader effort to silence government critics.