Samvel Karapetyan's arrest reveals Pashinyan's fears, teammate says

Andranik Gevorgyan, a member of the Strong Armenia party, has criticized the continued detention of its leader, businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, who is currently under house arrest.

In a video message posted on Facebook on Tuesday, Gevorgyan argued that Karapetyan’s arrest reveales Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s political fears. “They are afraid that Samvel Karapetyan could become Prime Minister. But he will,” Gevorgyan said.

He cited Karapetyan’s earlier remarks: “They can imprison me, they can prevent me from speaking to people, but they cannot stop the change that we are bringing.”

Gevorgyan added that it would be “shameful” if Karapetyan’s first entry into the government building were to come only after his release from house arrest. He announced that supporters plan to gather outside the Anti-Corruption Court to demand Karapetyan’s freedom and call for political change.