Decision to Arrest Gurgen Khachatryan Has Been Made; The Motion Is in Court

The team of lawyers representing Gurgen Khachatryan has issued an urgent statement saying, "On April 29, Gurgen Khachatryan received a notice to appear before the investigative body. This is reported by factor.am. At the time of receiving the notice and following a written request from his lawyer, Gurgen Khachatryan indicated that he would appear a few hours later for valid reasons.

However, a motion to arrest Gurgen Khachatryan was submitted to the court later that evening, of which the legal team was informed by the investigator. The lawyers requested reasonable time to familiarize themselves with the materials contained in several volumes and to properly organize the defense. Nevertheless, without waiting for the hearing, extensive investigative actions began today, raising our concerns about the legality of this action.

It should be noted that Gurgen Khachatryan had already been charged, and a preventive measure of signature not to leave had been chosen. Now the charge has been modified and additional elements have been added that lack any basis for criticism. According to the new charges, Gurgen Khachatryan is accused of facilitating bribery, while it is clear from both the case materials and clarifications that the amount mentioned in the accusation is a loan, and the loan agreement is still in effect and needs to be repaid upon expiration.

We will not provide additional information due to the requirement to maintain pre-trial secrecy. However, we find it necessary to point out that the aforementioned accusation represents a gross interference by the state in the freedom of economic activity and personal life of individuals. Given the official statements made by the Government of Armenia the day before (comments from the Prime Minister's spokesperson), we view the process as being exclusively aimed at expropriation and the redistribution of property rights.

It should be noted that the actions against the Khachatryan family and the detention of Gagik and Karen Khachatryan are not measures taken to effectively conduct the criminal investigation, to prevent evasion from investigation, or to secure individuals’ proper behavior, but rather illegal actions driven by selfish interests.