Chalabyan detained for two months

PanARMENIAN.Net - Avetik Chalabyan, coordinator of the Hayakve movement, has been placed in pretrial detention for two months. The court granted the investigative body's motion to apply detention as a preventive measure, Radar Armenia reported.

According to investigators, public criminal prosecution was initiated against Chalabyan by decision of the supervising prosecutor under Clauses 5 and 6, Part 2 of Article 43-210 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, relating to the preparation of obstruction of electoral rights by a group acting by prior agreement through the use of official authority, influence or powers.

According to the Investigative Committee, Chalabyan traveled abroad in May 2026, met with officials of another state and urged them to interfere with the free exercise of Armenian citizens’ electoral rights.

Daniel Ioannisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, stated that the Independent Observer initiative had submitted a report alleging an attempted seizure of power in Armenia involving a group of Russian officials and several Armenian citizens, after which a criminal case was launched.

According to Ioannisyan, when an audio recording involving Avetik Chalabyan was later published, it was also forwarded to prosecutors as additional material.

“All conscious participants in Russian interference in Armenia’s elections should stand before a court,” he wrote.