Overview
- An Armenian court on December 30 replaced pretrial detention for businessman Samvel Karapetyan with house arrest that includes a bail condition, his lawyer said.
- The court imposed an additional restriction forbidding him from making public statements that contain any calls to action, which his lawyer described as a direct limit on public speech.
- Karapetyan was taken from the National Security Service detention facility to his home in a police vehicle, and supporters gathered outside, local media reported.
- He was detained on June 18 on accusations of making public calls to seize power, and the Investigative Committee later added money laundering counts; he denies all charges.
- His legal team portrays the case as political persecution linked to his backing of the Armenian Apostolic Church and says it will file complaints with the European Court of Human Rights and other bodies.