Samvel Karapetyan arrested for two months

Samvel Karapetyan, an owner of the “Tashir” Group of Companies, whose house in Yerevan was searched by officers of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia after his public speech in support of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has been accused of calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order and taken into custody.

On June 18, the first instance court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan ruled to arrest businessman Samvel Karapetyan for two months. On the night of June 18, after searches, Samvel Karapetyan was taken first to a police station and then to the Armenian Investigative Committee, the “News.am” publication reports.

Samvel Karapetyan has been charged with public calls for the seizure of power and the violent overthrow of the constitutional order (Part 2 of Article 422 of the Criminal Code of Armenia). The mentioned article provides for maximum punishment of imprisonment from two to five years.

Liana Gasparyan, an advocate of Samvel Karapetyan, states that the businessman does not admit the accusation. The advocate has called the court’s decision to arrest Samvel Karapetyan unlawful and noted that the actions imputed to her client were recorded on video, which can be viewed by “anyone,” the “News-Armenia” news agency reports.

The charge brought against Samvel Karapetyan concerns a phrase voiced by Samvel Karapetyan during his” meeting with the Catholicos of All Armenians in Echmiadzin, the News-Armenia” news agency reports. During the meeting with Garegin II, Samvel Karapetyan assured the Catholicos of All Armenians of his support and condemned the attacks of the Armenian authorities on the church, stating that some politicians would speak out on the side of the patriarch. “If politicians fail, then we will take part in this in our own way,” Samvel Karapetyan also stated.

On June 17, Maria Zakharova, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, commented on the persecution of Samvel Karapetyan. Maria Zakharova has announced that the official Moscow is closely monitoring what is happening and will provide the businessman with the necessary assistance, the RIA “Novosti” news agency reports.

Samvel Karapetyan is ranked 44th in the Forbes rating of Russian billionaires, and his fortune is estimated at 3.2 billion US dollars. The billionaire owns the “Tashir” Group of Companies.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 19, 2025 at 12:54 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.