Scores of members and supporters of billionaire Samvel Karapetian’s Strong Armenia alliance have already been arrested in recent months on vote-buying charges denied by them. The Office of the Prosecutor-General last week asked the CEC for permission to also prosecute Karapetian’s nephew and right-hand man Narek, who coordinates the alliance’s day-to-day activities.
The commission dominated by government allies began considering the petition on Tuesday right after granting Narek Karapetian and other members of Armenia’s newly elected National Assembly the status of parliament deputies. It allowed law-enforcement authorities to file criminal charges against him but did not sanction his pre-trial detention.
The CEC chairman, Vahagn Hovakimian, attributed the dismissal of the arrest warrant to a 2021 ruling by Armenia’s Constitutional Court.
“The Constitutional Court decision gave the parliament the authority to deprive individuals, who have acquired the status of parliament deputy, of their liberty,” Hovakimian said, contradicting his own claims made on Tuesday.
Aram Vartevanian, a lawyer and senior Strong Armenia figure, insisted that the court ruling also means the CEC is not authorized to allow Narek Karapetian’s or any other lawmaker’s indictment either.
“A person who has received a parliament deputy’s certificate cannot be detained or charged without the National Assembly’s consent,” he told journalists.
Hovakimian claimed on Tuesday that the CEC will retain its authority to lift lawmakers’ immunity from arrest and prosecution until the new parliament’s inaugural session scheduled for August 2.
U.S. - Narek Karapetian is interviewed by U.S. talk show host Tucker Carlson, November 7, 2025.
According to Vartevanian, the “shameful, illegal and absurd” charges sought against Narek Karapetian are part of a criminal case against Aleksan Aleksanian, another prominent member of Samvel Karapetian’s political team who was arrested ahead of the June 7 elections.
Law-enforcement authorities say that since last September Aleksanian has hired some 1,400 people to work for a non-governmental organization that formed the backbone of Strong Armenia. They claim that they were paid to attend the bloc’s rallies under the guise of their wages. Both Aleksanian and Strong Armenia reject the accusations as politically motivated.
Hundreds of other opposition members and supporters have been detained on similar charges in recent months. According to Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee, 52 of them remain in custody and 48 others under house arrest. Most of the suspects are affiliated or linked with Strong Armenia.
Two of them, Davit Ghazinian and Hayk Sukiasian, were also elected to the parliament on the Strong Armenia ticket. Vartevanian said they must now be set free.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly vowed to jail and “dispossess” Samvel Karapetian and the leaders of two other major opposition groups that accuse the Armenian authorities of rigging the vote. One of them, Gagik Tsarukian, was arrested on July 6.