The team is participating in the case of businessman Samvel Karapetyan and waiting for approval from the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia, world-renowned lawyer and international human rights advocate Robert Amsterdam stated at a press conference in Yerevan on Wednesday.

They have provided them with evidence that he has the status of a lawyer in both the UK and Canada. But they insist that he provide this in documentary form, the originals of which they do not have with them. Tomorrow they will not be able to attend the court session, although he is going to go to the courthouse and express support for his client. During their visit to Armenia they are doing everything they can to get familiarized with this case, Amsterdam noted.

He added that Karapetyan’s case is openly political, and any judicial investigation that is carried out within the framework of this case can be compared to a show trial.

This should cause concern among the Armenian public. The legal process was initiated by the prosecutor general, who has close ties to the prime minister’s Office. In essence, the prosecutor general initiated a criminal case based on a misinterpretation of words. The fact that this has not been corrected and Karapetyan has not been released is shocking in itself. It is obvious that the use of words cannot be used to conclude that the accusations made by the prosecutor general can be considered justified in a court of law; this is simply unacceptable, he said.

The main difference between a political case and a legal case is that the former involves the executive branch of power. During a judicial investigation, there should be a separation between the functions of politics and criminal prosecution. It is obvious that in this case the Armenian prime minister misunderstood the words spoken by Karapetyan. After that, the PM made threatening and insulting statements that said that he would use the full power of the state against Karapetyan. This is unprecedented for a free democratic society, Amsterdam said.

He considered the participation of the prosecutor general of Armenia to be abnormal, too. In addition, the public nature of the attempts to detain a peace-loving benefactor with the participation of a large number of police officers is unacceptable, the lawyer added.

In which country can one persecute a person who participated in the morning commemoration events? Such behavior causes shock in a society united by religion. It is unacceptable to attack a person at such a sensitive moment and then detain him, Amsterdam said.

And this was done by a government that itself introduced the institution of house arrest. What risk would there be if Karapetyan were kept under house arrest? His imprisonment is a political act that has no place in a democratic society, he added.

In addition, another charge—of money laundering—is being added to the first charge. This charge has nothing to do with Karapetyan. This is just an attempt to give legitimacy to the case. This is a show, this is a political act. The Armenian government must assess the political consequences, said the lawyer.

He again noted that the Armenian government’s conduct will attract the attention of all of Armenia’s foreign political and economic partners.

Amsterdam said they will bring this unacceptable conduct in Armenia to international platforms—such as the UN and other organizations—to show not only the political nature of this case, but also the context of the attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church by the authorities. This case and Karapetyan’s engagement in church life cannot be separated. The secular authorities have voiced a demand for changes in the church hierarchy. This violates not only the constitution of Armenia and the law on religion, but also the principle of separation of church and state, which is of fundamental importance everywhere. The state wants complete control over the church; this is a cause for concern, Amsterdam said. He noted that he has rarely seen what is happening in Armenia. Public attacks on the Catholicos of All Armenians are unacceptable in a civilized society, concluded Robert Amsterdam.