Armenian opposition MP Levon Kocharyan has condemned the searches and detentions involving Strong Armenia, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of persecuting political opponents.
In a Telegram post, Kocharyan, a member of the Armenia parliamentary faction, said the actions against Strong Armenia had “nothing to do with the law or legality.”
“Aliyev wants to have his own constitution in Armenia, while Nikol Pashinyan is persecuting and imprisoning everyone who opposes it.
“The employees of law enforcement agencies, the prosecution service and the judiciary who are carrying out these illegal actions may try as hard as they like to convince themselves that they are acting in accordance with the law and on orders from their superiors. In reality, however, they have become instruments of Ilham Aliyev. They, their friends and their relatives will have to live with that knowledge,” Kocharyan wrote.
On the morning of November 4, investigators conducted searches at the homes of Samvel and Narek Karapetyan, identified as Strong Armenia’s chairman and parliamentary faction leader, respectively, as well as at businesses associated with them.
Following a search lasting approximately seven hours, National Security Service officers took Samvel Karapetyan to the Investigative Committee. His detention was subsequently reported.
According to the Investigative Committee, investigators have obtained evidence suggesting that a group allegedly operating under Samvel Karapetyan’s direction was involved in four instances of abuse of official powers in the private sector between 2016 and 2024, as well as suspected large-scale misappropriation of entrusted property and money laundering.
The allegations remain under investigation.
