Prominent businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan has been detained for two months by a decision of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, which considered the prosecutor’s motion to apply pre-trial detention as a preventive measure. His lawyers informed supporters gathered outside the courthouse about the ruling.

“In our view, this is unlawful. We will appeal. By this logic, anyone can be detained,” said attorney Armen Feroyan, as reported by Factor.am .

Earlier, the Investigative Committee of Armenia announced the initiation of criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Article 422 of the Armenian Criminal Code. The case pertains to an interview given to mass media, in which Karapetyan allegedly made public calls aimed at “seizing power and assuming government authority in ways not prescribed by the Constitution.”

In an interview with News.am , Karapetyan had responded to recent criticism of the Armenian Church by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“What opinion can I have if a small group, forgetting Armenian history and the centuries-old history of the Armenian Church, has attacked the Church and the Armenian people? As someone who has always stood with the Armenian people and Church, I will be directly involved. If politicians fail, we will participate in our own way,” Karapetyan stated.