Protesters in Armenia call for freedom of government critic
(MENAFN) Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Armenia’s capital on Saturday, demanding the release of Russian-Armenian billionaire and outspoken government critic Samvel Karapetyan. The protest, organized by the opposition movement Mer Dzevov (Our Way), included Karapetyan’s wife and three children.
Karapetyan was arrested in June on charges of inciting a coup and money laundering after publicly criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s crackdown on the Armenian Apostolic Church, which the government alleges of corruption and political interference.
Speaking to protesters outside Yerevan’s main detention center, Karapetyan’s lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, said the businessman is ready to form a new political party for the next elections.
Tensions between Pashinyan and the national church date back to 2020, when the church’s leader, Catholicos Garegin II, called for the prime minister’s resignation during mass protests. Since then, Pashinyan has argued that Garegin is unfit to remain in his position.
Earlier this week, police detained Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, head of the Diocese of Aragatsotn, and five other clergy on allegations of abuse of power and fraud. Earlier in October, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly inciting a coup, a case he claims is politically motivated.
The arrests and ongoing protests highlight growing friction between the Armenian government and influential figures in the church, as well as rising political opposition ahead of upcoming elections.
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