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Armenian court shifts Samvel Karapetyan from detention to house arrest

30 December 2025 20:30 (UTC +04:00)

An Armenian court has changed the pre-trial measure imposed on businessman Samvel Karapetyan, replacing his detention with house arrest and bail, his lawyer said, marking the first easing of restrictions since his arrest in June, APA reports.

Karapetyan has been held since June 18, 2025, on charges of making public calls to seize power, an accusation he denies. On Nov. 18, a court extended his detention by a further two months. His defence team filed another motion seeking his release from custody, which the court partially granted.

“After examining our motion, the court decided to partially satisfy it, applying an intensive measure of restraint in the form of house arrest and bail,” lawyer Aram Vardevanyan said in a statement.

Karapetyan’s arrest came shortly after he publicly voiced support for the Armenian Apostolic Church, at a time when the government had launched a confrontational campaign against the church leadership, including calls for the removal of the Catholicos. The timing prompted criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups, who questioned whether the criminal case was politically motivated.

The arrest was also accompanied by a series of Facebook posts by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in which he issued sharply worded comments about the case. Many observers interpreted those posts as a direct signal to law enforcement bodies, raising concerns about political pressure on investigators and the courts, as well as potential abuse of executive power.