Karapetyan says false charges won’t deter him

PanARMENIAN.Net - Samvel Karapetyan says he will not be deterred by his detention or fabricated accusations, pledging continued support for the Armenian people and Church.

At the Avan courthouse of general jurisdiction in Yerevan, where a decision was made to detain businessman Samvel Karapetyan for two months, his lawyer Ruben Hakobyan read out the businessman’s message.

“In my life, I’ve had both successes and many challenges. They cannot pressure or divert me from my principles through unlawful detention and fabricated charges. I will always stand with the people and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church. I will spare no effort or energy to improve the lives of my country and of Armenians,” the message stated, according to Sputnik Armenia.

Karapetyan also expressed gratitude to those supporting him and his family and affirmed that the fight for justice will continue.

“We are not dividers; we unite the nation,” Karapetyan concluded. “Our victory is inevitable. God is ahead.”

On the night of June 18, businessman Samvel Karapetyan left his Yerevan residence with law enforcement. He was later revealed to be under questioning at the Investigative Committee and was detained for two months that evening, charged with making a public call to usurp the powers of the Armenian government.

A few hours earlier, Karapetyan had issued a statement supporting the Armenian Apostolic Church: “I am with our Church, with our people. No matter how hard they try to discredit it, no power network... I don’t care about them or their electric grid. Everything will be fine. The people will speak, and they will understand their mistake.”

In response, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted: “Why have the immoral ‘clergymen’ and their immoral ‘benefactors’ become active? No worries — we will silence them again. Permanently.” He later added that the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) should be nationalized swiftly.