Rule-of-law state principle not effective in Armenia for 117 days -  lawyer 

ArmInfo. As of June 18, 2025, the principle of the rule of law, which guarantees the impossibility of unlawful arrest, the independence of courts and investigators, and  the Prosecutor General's oversight of preliminary investigations, has  been in effect in Armenia for 177 days.  This was stated by Aram  Vardevanyan, lawyer for businessman and head of the Tashir Group of  Companies, Samvel Karapetyan, at a press conference in Yerevan.

According to the lawyer, the 177-day detention violates written and  unwritten laws and norms.  Vardevanyan is confident that judges in  Armenia today are unable to administer justice because the country is  dominated by an atmosphere of political persecution and pressure,  which hinders their independence. 

"However, this circumstance has nothing to do with the law.  International experience knows many similar examples. However, judges  are obliged to remain independent even under pressure," Vardevanyan  emphasized. In this regard, the lawyer recalled that in their field,  all actions are recorded in writing, and each decision has its own  responsible persons. Specifically, he noted that the name of the  judge who made the decision is indicated under each decision. "And  even if it is made under pressure, there is a principle of  inevitability of responsibility," Vardevanyan asserted.

The lawyer also reiterated that the current situation is seriously  damaging the Republic's image. Therefore, he warned that punishment  will ultimately be collective in nature, and will not affect only  those who committed these illegal actions.

As a reminder, on November 18, the Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia  extended Karapetyan's arrest for another two months. The businessman  was detained by law enforcement on June 18, and the court later  remanded him in custody on charges of calling for the overthrow of  the constitutional order due to his support for the Armenian  Apostolic Church. Notably, Karapetyan's arrest was preceded by  threatening posts from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which lawyers  consider an attempt at direct interference in the justice system.  Following Karapetyan's arrest, the authorities effectively took over  the management of the Electric Networks of Armenia company from the  Karapetyan family, appointing Romanos Petrosyan, a member of the  Civil Contract party, as its manager. Then, exerting pressure on the  formally independent Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC),  they revoked Karapetyan's company's electricity distribution license  altogether.