European Rights Court to Examine Circumstances of Karapetyan’s Arrest

Announcing the ECHR’s decision to look into the case, one Karapetyan’s attorneys, Liana Gasparyan, explained during a press conference on Tuesday that initially a court in Armenia found that there was no ground to detain him on terrorism charges, so he was charged with money laundering.

“All these circumstances will be examined at the European Court of Human Rights. The investigative body changed the grounds for the detention and appeared in court with other reasons so that the judge could apply the detention,” Gasparyan said.

She said that the investigative body has not carried out a probe for a month, and the question arises: why is Karapetyan still under illegal detention?

“Of course, it is clear to everyone why he is being subjected to political persecution. In my practice, I have not encountered a case with so many violations. We call on the ‘implementers of justice’ [in Armenia] to stop the violations,” Gasparyan said.

Karapetyan’s defense team has said that the additional charge of money laundering is absurd and aims to damage his reputation.

Gasparyan’s announcement comes a day after an appeals court on Monday upheld a lower court’s decision to extend Karapetyan’s pre-trial arrest.

Last month, Karapetyan’s supporters launched a movement which they said will create a political party ahead of the general elections due in June 2026. Political analysts expect it to be a major election contender.

Hours before the announcement of the appeals court’s decision, Karapetyan issued a new statement from jail in which he criticized the economic situation in the country and said his team can quickly improve it, including by attracting “major international investors.”

“The only one responsible for such a reality is this government, which does not create decent opportunities for our people, discourages them, and breaks their faith in a prosperous future,” Kareptyan said.