Overview
- Prosecutors and the Investigative Committee appealed the December 30 switch to house arrest for Samvel Karapetyan, asking an appellate court to return him to pre-trial detention.
- Defense attorney Aram Vardevanyan said the state filed the appeal on January 5 and also refused Karapetyan’s request to visit his father’s grave on the January 7 day of remembrance.
- Karapetyan, charged with publicly calling for the seizure of power after his June 18, 2025 detention, denies wrongdoing, and his lawyers cite domestic and ECHR case law to argue against re-detention.
- Separately, an appellate court is set to decide on January 12 in a written procedure whether to uphold the December 5 arrest of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan on a narcotics-related accusation that his lawyer calls baseless.
- Regulatory pressure on Karapetyan’s assets continues, with the utility regulator revoking Electric Networks of Armenia’s license on November 17 and outlining a path that could place the company under state control.