Lawyer insists on acquittal of Armenian opposition podcasters

An Armenian court has replaced the detention of opposition podcaster Narek Samsonyan with administrative supervision, his lawyer said on Tuesday, while reiterating calls for his and co-defendant Vazgen Saghatelyan’s acquittal.

Attorney Ruben Melikyan said the court granted a motion to ease Samsonyan’s restrictions on health grounds, imposing administrative supervision that includes a ban on making public statements.

Although an appellate court had earlier commuted Samsonyan’s pre-trial detention to house arrest, the defense pursued further relief, which was granted at Tuesday’s hearing.

“We maintain that there is no corpus delicti in their actions,” Melikyan said in a Facebook live, adding that international organizations had also raised concerns about the case. “We will continue to insist on an acquittal.”

He also called for the release of Saghatelyan, who remains in custody, describing his continued detention as unjust.

Samsonyan and Saghatelyan, co-hosts of the Imnemnimi podcast, were arrested on November 13, 2025. A court extended their pre-trial detention by three months on January 9, 2026.

Following that ruling, Samsonyan began a hunger strike in protest and after 15 days was transferred to Izmirlian Medical Center for surgery. On Feb. 19, an appellate court replaced his detention with house arrest under strict conditions, which have now been further eased.

The case against the two men was launched following a complaint by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan. They face hooliganism charges, which their defense says are linked to their expression of political views.