The court hearing on Karapetyan's case took place against the backdrop of a solidarity rally
An Armenian court held an eight-hour hearing on extending the detention of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, but postponed its decision. The hearing took place amid a protest by Karapetyan's relatives and supporters.
As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," in mid-August, the court remanded Samvel Karapetyan in custody. Karapetyan's defense called the decision unfounded. On September 8, the appellate court refused to release the businessman.
Tashir Group owner Samvel Karapetyan has been charged with calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order. Before his arrest, Samvel Karapetyan expressed support for the Armenian Apostolic Church after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan harshly criticized the church at a government meeting on May 29 and responded to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's objections with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded that Pashinyan apologize for insulting the church, according to a report prepared by the Caucasian Knot, " The Key Points of Political Arrests in Armenia in June 2025. "
A court hearing on extending Samvel Karapetyan's pretrial detention was held in Armenia on October 14. The hearing lasted nearly eight hours, but the decision was postponed, JAMnews reported today.
"While the courtroom deliberations were underway, several dozen people held a rally outside in support of Karapetyan. Those present chanted "Samvel" and "Freedom," the publication states.
Karapetyan's relatives, friends, and numerous supporters took part in the solidarity rally in the courtyard of the Anti-Corruption Court building, News.am reports.
The hearing on extending Karapetyan's pretrial detention has been postponed, confirmed lawyer Aram Vardevanyan. "The hearing began 20 minutes late. Despite a team of 53 investigators working on the case, they were unable to arrive on time. The investigator filed a motion that has nothing to do with Samvel Karapetyan," the publication quotes him as saying.
As a reminder, on October 13, it was announced that investigators had brought new economic charges against Samvel Karapetyan. "The investigative body has set a new bar for continued illegality: it has brought yet another economic charge without any relevant evidence, without even the slightest legal basis," the businessman's lawyers stated.
In July, 65 members of the Armenian parliament supported a bill allowing the nationalization of Karapetyan's company, Electric Networks of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan had previously threatened to nationalize the company. On July 8, security forces searched the offices of Electric Networks of Armenia and the home of Narek Karapetyan, chairman of the board of directors.
On July 2, searches were conducted at the Yerevan office of Karapetyan's company, Tashir Group. The Investigative Committee of Armenia stated that the searches were motivated by a criminal case on tax evasion and money laundering.
On July 11, Vaghinak Kazaryan, director of Karapetyan's Tashir Pizza company, was arrested for tax evasion.
Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416334
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