Ex-MP Hakobyan convicted, avoids imprisonment

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former National Assembly deputy and public-political figure Ruben Hakobyan has been found guilty but will remain at liberty. His lawyer, Grigor Mghdesyan, said the court imposed a fine of 2.7 million drams, Sputnik Armenia reports.

He said the verdict will be appealed. “Throughout the trial, we insisted, and continue to insist, that the guilty verdict restricts political and critical speech, which has no place in a democratic society. For this reason, especially in the case of politicians, the state must be more tolerant and allow sharper criticism of opponents, because this is precisely what democracy is based on,” he stressed.

It is noted that the charges against Ruben Hakobyan were brought on the grounds that, having served for many years as a member of Armenia’s National Assembly and possessing real influence over a wide circle of people, he “publicly called for the seizure of power”. The allegation stems from an interview he gave on July 1, 2025, to the “Right to Speak” program on H2 Television’s YouTube channel, during which he voiced statements deemed to constitute such a call amid disagreements with the Armenian government’s positions on domestic political issues.

Ruben Hakobyan was arrested on July 19, 2025, on charges of “calling for the seizure of power.” On August 27, the court lifted the pretrial detention imposed on him.

On July 22, he sent a letter from detention stating that he did not regret the political assessments and statements he made during the television program, which had led to his deprivation of liberty.