PRESSURES AGAINST THE EXPERT
- Today, on 12 December, the lawyers of political prisoner Samvel Karapetyan reported that pressure is being exerted on the linguist-expert who submitted an opinion in the case.
- The defense stated that the expert’s apartment had been searched the previous day. The expert had concluded that Samvel Karapetyan’s statement, the basis for the criminal proceedings, contained no call to seize power, nor any call of any kind.
- According to Karapetyan’s defense team, the search of a court-appointed expert’s residence is unprecedented. Although 53 investigators have been assigned to the case, it has not yet been referred to the court, and such actions appear intended also to prolong the proceedings.
- The fact that an expert engaged at the initiative of the defense is being subjected to pressure raises significant concerns regarding the principle of equality of arms. Such pressure may have a chilling effect on professionals across disciplines and may deter them from participating in legal proceedings and expressing impartial expert opinions when their involvement has been initiated by the defense rather than the investigating authority.
CONTEXT
- Businessman Samvel Karapetyan has been detained for nearly six months for a political statement that, at the instruction of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, law-enforcement authorities labeled as a “public call to seize power” (Article 422 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia).
- On 17 June 2025, Karapetyan expressed support for the Armenian Apostolic Church in an interview. For nearly a month prior, its clergy had been the target of criticism and profanity-laden statements by Pashinyan and members of the ruling Civil Contract Party. Responding to a journalist’s question about the ongoing campaign against the Church, Karapetyan stated:
“What should I think when a small group, having forgotten Armenian history and millennia of tradition of the Armenian Church, attacks the Church and our people? As I have always stood with the Church and with the Armenian people, I will take part directly. If politicians do not succeed, we will take part in our own way.”
- Prime Minister Pashinyan reacted to the businessman’s remarks with Facebook posts:
“Why have these promiscuous ‘clergymen’ and their promiscuous ‘benefactors’ activated? No matter, we’ll pacify them again. And this time, for good.”
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“He says, ‘we will intervene in our own way.’ Now I will intervene in my way, you scoundrel. Or rather, all of you [scoundrels].”
Immediately following the Prime Minister’s first statement, the National Security Service searched the businessman’s home. The next day, Karapetyan was arrested and subsequently placed in pre-trial detention.
- The sole “basis” for the accusation of a “public call to seize power” is Karapetyan’s above-quoted statement. It constitutes protected political speech and falls within the guarantees of freedom of expression, including the right to express opinions and ideas without fear, even when those views contradict positions advanced by official bodies or provoke irritation or discomfort among them.։
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Armenian Center for Political Rights has examined in detail the political persecution of S. Karapetyan, other opposition figures, and clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in its report, Injustice in Armenia: Mass Political Persecutions in 2025, Part A (May–September). Given the continued nature of these persecutions, our recommendations remain unchanged:
Armenian Center for Political Rights calls upon international organizations with mandates related to human rights protection, to which Armenia is a member, their specialized offices, and relevant officials, as well as human rights organizations operating in Armenia and other countries, to:
- Conduct a detailed review of the cases presented in the aforementioned report and current statement, as well as in other publicly available sources, regarding the persecutions of S. Karapetyan, M. Archbishop Ajapahyan, members of the “Holy Struggle” movement, and ARF party members. ACPR is ready to provide support to the extent possible in obtaining necessary materials.
- Evaluate the persecutions in light of ECHR law, PACE Resolution 1900, and other internationally recognized human rights standards.
- Issue clear public statements regarding the cases described above.
- Focus attention on criminal proceedings and persecution of political opponents in Armenia, as well as other events indicating democratic backsliding, providing them with a precise evaluation.
Armenian Center for Political Rights
