Arrested Armenian tycoon sues three officials for defamation

Armenian-Russian billionaire and head of the Tashir Group, Samvel Karapetyan, has filed lawsuits against three public figures in Armenia, accusing them of defamation and seeking compensation for moral damages.

The lawsuits target Nazeli Baghdasaryan, press secretary to the Prime Minister; Taron Chakhoyan, Deputy Chief of the Government Staff; and political analyst Arutyun Mkrtchyan, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenia’s Datalex judicial portal.

Karapetyan is demanding a public retraction of what he describes as slanderous remarks, as well as 9 million drams (approximately $23,400) in moral damages from each of the defendants.

The lawsuits come just weeks after Karapetyan was arrested on June 18 and placed in pre-trial detention for two months. He faces charges of publicly calling for the violent seizure of power in Armenia—a claim he and his legal team strongly deny.

Samvel Karapetyan arrest followed his public criticism of the government’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, particularly its attacks on Catholicos Garegin II. Pashinyan had accused the Catholicos of violating his vow of celibacy. Karapetyan’s public support for the Church and his warning of intervention “in our own way” if politicians failed to resolve the issue were interpreted by Pashinyan as a challenge to state authority.

By Khagan Isayev