Former commander of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) army, supporter of Armenia’s Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanyan (ORO) bloc Samvel Babayan was arrested on Wednesday, March 22, lawmaker of Karabakh National Assembly Hayk Khanumyan said citing sources close to Babayan.

Reasons for the arrest are still unknown, Yerkir.am reports.

Another member of ORO bloc, Heritage party deputy chairman Armen Martirosyan and Babayan’s family have also confirmed his detention, RFE/RL Armenian Service says.

A military leader, statesman and politician, Babayan served as the commander of Karabakh’s defense forces.

He currently supports the ORO bloc which is running for seats at the Armenian National Assembly.

Elections to the Armenian parliament will be held on April 2. ORO is among the nine parties and blocs running for seats at the National Assembly. All the forces have already launched their election campaigns.