Karapetyan's lawyer stated the political nature of the case against the businessman

The criminal case against businessman Samvel Karapetyan is political in nature and has nothing to do with the law. His lawyer Robert Amsterdam told Izvestia about this on October 14.

"I have no hope for [Karapetyan's] freedom. This is a political matter. Mr. [Armenian Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan will be ready to release him when his fear subsides. <...> Not a day earlier," he said.

According to the lawyer, the decision on Karapetyan's release depends entirely on Pashinyan. Amsterdam believes that the businessman's detention was the result of the personal insecurity of the head of government, rather than legal grounds.

The lawyer stressed that his client was innocent and had become a victim of political pressure. Karapetyan was imprisoned after he publicly supported the Armenian Church and opposed attacks on it by the authorities.

"It's just an abomination to put a man who has done so much for the Church and the country in prison, in terrible conditions for a man of his age," the lawyer said.

He also stated that the Prime Minister must stop confrontation with the church and comply with the norms of European law if Armenia really strives for integration.

"Armenia has no future in Europe if he (Pashinyan. - Ed.) is going to interfere in church affairs, which violates Article 9 of the European Convention," Amsterdam said.

At the same time, he noted that despite the difficult conditions of detention, Samvel Karapetyan remains cheerful and has faith in God and his family.

The cult of duplicity: what is known about the detention of businessman Karapetyan in Armenia

Prime Minister Pashinyan called the businessman a scoundrel and wanted to nationalize his assets.

Karapetyan's detention became known on June 18. He was detained for publicly expressing disagreement with the attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), which came from the country's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. On the same day, the Investigative Committee of Armenia sent a petition to the court for Karapetyan's detention. He was charged with calling for the seizure of power in Armenia. After that, he was arrested for two months. After that, on September 8, the Court of Appeal in Yerevan kept Karapetyan in custody, rejecting the defense's request.

In August, Karapetyan announced the creation of his own political movement "In his own way", which should become the basis for the creation of a new party, and will be formed around certain ideas and programs. At the same time, it became known that the party of the head of the Tashir group of companies, Karapetyan, would participate in the 2026 parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Karapetyan invests in the development of Armenia, the main focus of his charitable foundation "Tashir" is the preservation of historical heritage.

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