Attorney Levon Baghdasaryan, representing Vardan Ghukasyan—the leader of the DOK party and former military police officer—has stated that his client is neither detained nor arrested. However, he acknowledged that certain restrictions on Ghukasyan's freedom might exist, as reported by RFE/RL.
"Legal proceedings have commenced, and Vardan Ghukasyan is a participant in these proceedings. Due to the confidentiality of these proceedings and in the interest of justice, I will not disclose further details. I can add that these proceedings are primarily within the domain of U.S. attorneys," Baghdasaryan noted.
When asked whether Ghukasyan is deprived of his liberty, the attorney responded: "He is not detained, I state this categorically. Detention can be understood in various formats. Given these legal proceedings, he has not been arrested; certain examinations are being conducted with the relevant state authorities there. His rights are not restricted; there might be partial limitations related to his freedom, dictated by the interests of justice."
Regarding Ghukasyan's current whereabouts, information published on the official website of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicates that he is at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada.
Baghdasaryan, however, mentioned that he does not possess information about this.
"I have no information regarding that; it hasn't concerned me," he said.
The attorney noted that the legal process is being handled by American lawyers, and the information he has comes from them, adding that the process began about a week ago.
When asked if this is a migration issue, Baghdasaryan replied that it can be said so.
"Yes, we can say so; I don't see any problem related to confidentiality; it is also a migration issue. I inform you that, as far as I know, he has a status—specifically, he has the appropriate status in the U.S., including for residence, as far as I am aware. As for the rest, I think in the very near future, both the competent state authorities there and, why not, Vardan Ghukasyan himself will provide assessments related to this," he added.
At the Henderson Center, where, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ghukasyan is located, individuals are mainly held in connection with immigration or other non-serious offenses, as well as those sentenced to up to one year of imprisonment. Detainees in this facility have the opportunity to have only two 20-minute meetings per week, and phone calls are restricted, except for attorneys and probation service employees.
Baghdasaryan declined to answer whether he had the opportunity to communicate with his client during the past week.
"Simply because I don't have such authorization from my client," he noted.
Meanwhile, the DOK party does not provide any information regarding Ghukasyan's place of detention or the reasons for it, but reports that a petition has been initiated to oppose his extradition. According to the party's statement, there is concern that if extradited, he may be subjected to inhuman treatment and torture.
Levon Baghdasaryan, however, ruled out Ghukasyan's extradition, asserting that his life is at risk in Armenia. According to him, this fact has also been recorded by Interpol.
"It has been recorded that his life is in danger in Armenia. If you are not aware, I inform you that months ago, that reputable organization annulled the international search warrant issued by Armenia, and this was one of the reasons," he said.
The attorney also noted that from a legal standpoint, Ghukasyan's extradition is impossible.
"Having the relevant legal information, I rule out extradition on legal grounds. If there are other functions in the political sphere, and so on, politics is not my domain; I cannot say that. Purely on legal grounds, I categorically state that this legal issue will be resolved," Levon Baghdasaryan emphasized.
In Armenia, Vardan Ghukasyan, leader of the DOK party, is accused of fraud, extortion, threats, and public calls for violence; however, he does not accept the charges against him.
