Lawyer says Samvel Karapetyan's health was deliberately harmed in detention

The Armenian Anti-Corruption Court of Appeals on Friday ordered the detention of businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, overturning a lower court decision that had placed him under house arrest.

At a press conference, Karapetyan’s lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, accused prison authorities of deliberately harming his client’s health during months in custody, citing pneumonia and COVID-19 that he said developed due to officials’ inaction and the absence of medical care. Authorities have denied wrongdoing, with the head of a state medical facility saying no complaints were recorded.

Vardevanyan said Karapetyan, whom he described as a major benefactor, had been healthy before his detention and called the case political persecution.

Karapetyan had been held in pre-trial detention since June 18, 2025. On December 30, a court replaced custody with house arrest and additional restrictions, but prosecutors appealed that decision on January 5. The appellate court accepted the case on January 12 and issued its ruling on January 16.