Prosecutors seek re-arrest of Samvel Karapetyan, lawyer says

The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office and the Investigative Committee have asked a court to place prominent businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan in pre-trial detention again, his lawyer said on Monday, calling the move politically motivated and unlawful.

Karapetyan, who is currently under house arrest, faces an appeal filed by prosecutors and investigators challenging the court decision that imposed the lesser measure, Aram Vardevanyan said in a statement.

According to the lawyer, the appeal was submitted on Jan. 5, the first working day of 2026. On the same day, authorities also rejected a request allowing Karapetyan to visit his father’s grave on the Day of Remembrance.

Vardevanyan said Karapetyan’s defense team has filed, and will continue to file, appeals against the house arrest. He argued that under Armenian Constitutional Court and European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, the intensity of rights restrictions under detention and house arrest can be comparable, adding that additional constraints had already been imposed on his client.

“There is no justification and no legal basis,” Vardevanyan said, describing the prosecutors’ position as “manifestly unlawful” and aimed solely at keeping Karapetyan in custody.

He highlighted Karapetyan’s politically motivated prosecution has continued for about seven months, adding that further details would be released in the coming days.