Opposition politician Armen Ashotyan detained for one month

An Armenian court has ordered opposition politician Armen Ashotyan, deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia, to be held in pre-trial detention for one month, his lawyer Tigran Atanesyan said on Friday.

The court granted investigators' request to remand Ashotyan in custody as part of a criminal probe into alleged abuse of office and money laundering.

Earlier on Friday, the Armenian Investigative Committee said that it had decided to detain seven individuals, including Ashotyan, in connection with the investigation.

Ashotyan, a former education minister, has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government. He has previously rejected accusations of wrongdoing.