Lawyer on reasons for Russian-Armenian businessman`s extended arrest 

ArmInfo.  The appeal against the decision of the Anti-Corruption Court to extend the arrest of Samvel Karapetyan in the order of special review will be considered in writing. The decision on it will be published on September 8. This was reported by lawyer Aram Vardevanyan, indicating the reason for  'he clearly illegal arrest of Karapetyan.'

On June 17, 2025, the head of the executive branch published the  following post on Facebook: "Now I will intervene in my own way:>.  This expression was clearly addressed to a specific person, and a few  hours later, businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan was  clearly illegally arrested and is still in custody," Vardevanyan  wrote on the social network. The lawyer is convinced that any  representative of the professional community will give an unambiguous  answer to the question of whether the expression "We will participate  in the defense of the Church in our own way" can become a reason for  initiating a criminal case or, moreover, satisfy the condition for  detention.

"Firstly, the criminal proceedings are illegal, secondly, there is no  connection with any article of the Special Part of the Criminal Code,  thirdly, the arrest is clearly illegal.

The obstacle to the implementation of these unambiguous answers is  the well-known statement of June 17.  This is precisely what makes  the political persecution of Samvel Karapetyan indisputable, this is  precisely what is revenge and the use of a measure of punishment in  the form of detention by law enforcement officers, despite obvious  and various local and international obligations that directly  prohibit it,"

"The consideration of the appeal on the obvious illegality and  invalidity of the detention, which has been going on for about 80  days, is being carried out in writing for some unknown reason, and  the date of publication of the judicial act is September 8," Aram  Vardevanyan summarizes.

Let us recall that on June 17, 2025, Samvel Karapetyan gave an  interview to one of the media outlets, in which he expressed his  concern about the harsh campaign against the Armenian Apostolic  Church. In particular, in an interview lasting just over one minute,  answering the question of what is his opinion regarding the campaign  against the Armenian Church, the famous businessman answered: "What  opinion should I have if a small group, forgetting the history of  Armenia, the thousand-year history of the Armenian Church, attacked  the Church, the Armenian people? Since I have always been close to  the Armenian Church and the people, I will take direct part: If  politicians fail, then we will take part in all this in our own way."

Immediately after the publication of this interview with Karapetyan,  Pashinyan made several posts on the social network, in particular the  following content: "Why have the lustful and their lustful  'benefactors' become more active? No problem, we will deactivate them  again. And forever', "This is not the village of Nizhniy Tapir in  Kaluga. This is the Republic of Armenia. I hope the taste of the  state will remain in your mouth,' He says we will interfere in our  own way. Now I will interfere in my own way, you bastard. Or rather,  in you:"

As a result, Samvel Karapetyan was detained on the night of June 18  in Yerevan by law enforcement agencies of Armenia. On the night of  June 19, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction arrested  Karapetyan for two months. He is being held in the "Yerevan-Kentron"  penitentiary (the well-known 'KGB basement' in the building of the  National Security Service of Armenia). He is accused of publicly  calling for the seizure of power in the country. Karapetyan does not  admit guilt. Karapetyan does not admit guilt.  In addition, in July,  the head of the Tashir Group of Companies was charged with new  charges of money laundering.

On August 15, the Anti-Corruption Court, early in the morning, after  almost 10 hours of considering the investigator's petition, extended  Karapetyan's arrest.