The court rejects the appeal of Samvel Karapetyan’s legal team

Statement by the legal team of Samvel Karapetyan:

“On November 18, 2025, the Anti-Corruption Court granted the unfounded motion of the investigative body and extended the clearly unlawful detention of national benefactor and businessman Samvel Karapetyan for an additional two months. Notably, the publication of the court’s decision was preceded by a newspaper article of identical content in Haykakan Zhamanak. This sequence of events represents yet another manifestation of legal absurdity and provides further evidence of political persecution.

The Court of Appeal, presided over by Judge Zh. Meliksetyan, has now decided to reject the appeals submitted by both the defense team and the prosecutor’s office. This decision lies entirely outside the boundaries of legal logic and effectively removes criminal proceedings from the judicial domain of Armenia.

The Court of First Instance extended Samvel Karapetyan’s unlawful detention solely on the basis of an alleged risk of obstruction, and the Court of Appeal effectively endorsed this reasoning. In doing so, it disregarded three indisputable facts: 1. the absence of even minimal justification for the charges; 2. the nearly six-month duration of unlawful detention; and

3. the availability of alternative preventive measures. Despite the evidently baseless charges, the court provided no legal avenue to reject the motion filed under duress by the defense.

All of this demonstrates that, in the case of Samvel Karapetyan, the law is not being applied, legal arguments are not being considered, and justice is not being served. What is taking place is political persecution, retaliatory action, and the deliberate dismantling of legal order.

Further updates will be provided on developments.”