Investigative Committee: Samvel Karapetyan granted permission to publish a video message on Facebook
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ArmInfo. Today's statement by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Samvel Karapetyan has been granted permission to publish a video message on social media is yet another attempt to manipulate and mislead the public, as stated by lawyer Aram Vardevanyan during a live Facebook broadcast.
According to him, throughout this entire period, more lies were spread, and Samvel Karapetyan was not allowed to record a video message. Specifically, on March 13, 2026, when the investigation began examining Karapetyan's house arrest petition, the defense requested for permission to make a video message. "Furthermore, during the court hearing, it was suggested to pause for a minute and report on what was happening via a Facebook live broadcast. Permission was not received from either the court or the investigation," he said.
Karapetyan's defense received the court's ruling on March 17, which was then appealed to a higher court. "This ruling explicitly stated that the decision to publish the video message was not within the Probation Service's jurisdiction, but was for the investigator to decide. Thus, the court confirmed that at this stage, the appropriate permission was not available," Vardevanyan clarified. On March 18, the defense appealed to the Investigative Committee for permission to publish Samvel Karapetyan's statements. "And when today the head of the executive branch once again confirmed the absence of such a restriction, it was yet another manipulation and attempt to mislead the public, since today, just a few hours later, the Investigative Committee granted our petition," the lawyer noted, adding that he still hadn't received the investigative body's decision.
Recall, at a government briefing today, Pashinyan stated that the Probation Service believes Karapetyan can speak live on air. Pashinyan suggested Karapetyan state his position live on air, and "we'll understand their strengths and our weaknesses." He also challenged his virtual opponent to "do 30 pull-ups live on air." "I can't, but I can ride a bike 100 km. What else are we strong at? Intellect? Let them show it live. I'm sure both oligarchs (presumably referring to Samvel and his nephew, Narek Karapetyan) are weak in both analysis and vocabulary. This is easy to prove. They're strong with their money, but they have earned it through their corrupt fathers, and they're weak in business. And they're afraid of ending up in a position they deserve. Most of their money isn't theirs at all, but that of foreign corrupt systems, and they're just weak managers," Pashinyan stated.
Following this, the Investigative Committee of Armenia issued a statement stating that, given that the decision on whether to allow Samvel Karapetyan to address the citizens of the Republic of Armenia with a video message as part of the election campaign and the format of such message falls within the competence of the public participant in the criminal proceedings-in this case, the investigative body-the body conducting the proceedings decided to grant the petition, allowing Samvel Karapetyan, to publish a video message on Facebook in the context of presenting the political activities, programs, and approaches of the "Strong Armenia" party.
Pashinyan did not limit himself to comments at the briefing and also published a short video afterwards. "You say you're strong. How are you strong?" Pashinyan asked his opponents. He challenged them to go live and do 30 push-ups, and then he would admit they were strong. "Or another option: let's say, go on air and name the capital of Spain without any prompting, and then I will admit that you are super-intellectuals, strong intellectuals," the Armenian Prime Minister noted.
According to him, throughout this entire period, more lies were spread, and Samvel Karapetyan was not allowed to record a video message. Specifically, on March 13, 2026, when the investigation began examining Karapetyan's house arrest petition, the defense requested for permission to make a video message. "Furthermore, during the court hearing, it was suggested to pause for a minute and report on what was happening via a Facebook live broadcast. Permission was not received from either the court or the investigation," he said.
Karapetyan's defense received the court's ruling on March 17, which was then appealed to a higher court. "This ruling explicitly stated that the decision to publish the video message was not within the Probation Service's jurisdiction, but was for the investigator to decide. Thus, the court confirmed that at this stage, the appropriate permission was not available," Vardevanyan clarified. On March 18, the defense appealed to the Investigative Committee for permission to publish Samvel Karapetyan's statements. "And when today the head of the executive branch once again confirmed the absence of such a restriction, it was yet another manipulation and attempt to mislead the public, since today, just a few hours later, the Investigative Committee granted our petition," the lawyer noted, adding that he still hadn't received the investigative body's decision.
Recall, at a government briefing today, Pashinyan stated that the Probation Service believes Karapetyan can speak live on air. Pashinyan suggested Karapetyan state his position live on air, and "we'll understand their strengths and our weaknesses." He also challenged his virtual opponent to "do 30 pull-ups live on air." "I can't, but I can ride a bike 100 km. What else are we strong at? Intellect? Let them show it live. I'm sure both oligarchs (presumably referring to Samvel and his nephew, Narek Karapetyan) are weak in both analysis and vocabulary. This is easy to prove. They're strong with their money, but they have earned it through their corrupt fathers, and they're weak in business. And they're afraid of ending up in a position they deserve. Most of their money isn't theirs at all, but that of foreign corrupt systems, and they're just weak managers," Pashinyan stated.
Following this, the Investigative Committee of Armenia issued a statement stating that, given that the decision on whether to allow Samvel Karapetyan to address the citizens of the Republic of Armenia with a video message as part of the election campaign and the format of such message falls within the competence of the public participant in the criminal proceedings-in this case, the investigative body-the body conducting the proceedings decided to grant the petition, allowing Samvel Karapetyan, to publish a video message on Facebook in the context of presenting the political activities, programs, and approaches of the "Strong Armenia" party.
Pashinyan did not limit himself to comments at the briefing and also published a short video afterwards. "You say you're strong. How are you strong?" Pashinyan asked his opponents. He challenged them to go live and do 30 push-ups, and then he would admit they were strong. "Or another option: let's say, go on air and name the capital of Spain without any prompting, and then I will admit that you are super-intellectuals, strong intellectuals," the Armenian Prime Minister noted.