Armenian court opens opposition figure's trial

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday opened proceedings in the case against Khachik Galstyan, secretary of the opposition Homeland Party, with the initial hearing set to address the measure of restraint imposed on him.

Ahead of the hearing, attorney Arsen Babayan said the court would primarily consider whether sufficient grounds exist to extend his house arrest. He argued that no such justification remains and voiced expectation that both Galstyan and co-defendant Aram Kocharyan would be released.

“The grounds for the extension of his house arrest are absent,” Babayan told reporters, adding that his clients had no involvement in the alleged distribution of electoral bribes. He described the prosecution as politically motivated, calling the defendants “victims of political persecution.”

Galstyan, a political science professor, is accused by Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee of orchestrating vote-buying during snap municipal elections in Vagharshapat on November 16, 2025. He was detained on December 30, before a court ordered his release to house arrest on February 26.