The Accusation is Absurd, He Doesn’t Even Want to Comment: Arqam Abrahamyan's Defense

Arqam Abrahamyan, the son of Hovik Abrahamyan, rejects the accusation of ordering the murder of Solomon Vlasyan in 2023, describing it as absurd to the extent that he doesn’t even want to discuss it. This was stated by Emin Khachatryan, a member of Arqam Abrahamyan's defense team, during a conversation with journalists.

Recall that Arqam Abrahamyan was arrested and then detained on August 8. He is accused of ordering the murder of S.V., which occurred near one of the entrances of a building on Myasnikyan Avenue in Yerevan on April 30, 2023. The Investigative Committee, in its press release, also publicized personal information about the case, claiming that after comprehensive investigative actions, it was established that A.A., suspecting his wife E.T. of having personal relations with Solomon Vlasyan, a member and spiritual leader of the religious organization “Evangelical Faith Christians,” and having given him large amounts of money, aimed to take Vlasyan's life as an act of revenge, but decided not to carry out his criminal intent personally, rather through a loyal person in financial and personal dependence on him, his security employee G.H. (Gegham Hakobyan).

According to the Investigative Committee, Arqam Abrahamyan, using his influence over Gegham Hakobyan, as well as the latter's loyalty and willingness toward him, incited him to take the life of S.V. G.H., accepting the assignment as an order, shot and killed S.V. on April 30, 2023, in front of an apartment building at address Myasnikyan 2 in Yerevan.

The press release from the Investigative Committee was followed by a statement from the Human Rights Defender, which deemed the unnecessary publication of personal and family information related to individuals in the context of public communication about a criminal case unacceptable.

It should be noted that the criminal proceedings regarding Gegham Hakobyan have been under the jurisdiction of the Yerevan General Jurisdiction Criminal Court for two years; initially, it was overseen by Judge Artush Gabrielyan, and following the suspension of his powers, it has been reassigned to Judge Armine Meliksetyan. Hakobyan is currently under house arrest.

Emin Khachatryan, a member of Arqam Abrahamyan's defense team, told “Factinfo” that the accusation is completely unfounded and unsubstantiated. Abrahamyan has stated that the accusation is so absurd that he does not even want to comment on it. Regarding the arrest, Khachatryan mentioned that disproportionate and excessive force was used, and the published information raises questions about its purpose. Khachatryan refrained from providing specifics about the basis of the accusation, citing the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation, only noting that Abrahamyan denies the allegations. As for the detention order, the defense plans to appeal it.