Renowned American lawyer Robert Amsterdam, legal counsel to Armenian businessman and PM candidate Samvel Karapetyan, spoke exclusively with NEWS.am about the extension of his client's house arrest, the upcoming elections, and what he describes as blatant political persecution.

"He Is Completely in Fear of Real Political Competition."

Amsterdam says the two-month extension of Karapetyan's house arrest came as no surprise. "Mr. Pashinyan is a non-candidate. The man appears to be operating in the interests of a foreign power and is completely in fear of actual political competition," he said, describing Karapetyan as "a wildly successful philanthropist and supporter of the Armenian Church" who "strikes fear in the heart of Mr. Pashinyan."

The lawyer dismissed all charges against his client as baseless. "In my almost 50-year career, this falls into a pattern of political prosecutions initiated by weak political leaders like Pashinyan, who are so afraid of the truth that they hide behind false charges."

"The Decision Was Published in a Magazine the Day Before the Court Announced It"

Amsterdam was unequivocal that the case had nothing to do with the law. "At one of the hearings, they announced the decision in a magazine the day before the court announced the decision. This is transparently political." He added that the charges largely relate to his client's "devout faith in God and support of the Church," calling it "astounding" that any judge would take them seriously.

"The Pol Pot of Armenia"

Drawing a stark historical comparison, Amsterdam said: "This is really the first time in history, since Pol Pot led Cambodians into the jungle, where a political leader like Pashinyan has tried to remove the history, the religion, and the culture of his own people. He is the Pol Pot of Armenia."

Copying Ivanishvili's Playbook

On Pashinyan's speech at the European Parliament — where he used the phrase "party of war" against the opposition and the Church — Amsterdam pointed out that the term was lifted directly from Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili's April 2024 speech, which marked a decisive turn toward Russia. "Pashinyan stupidly uses the same language... in his treatment of the Church, in his treatment of the opposition. We all need to ask who Pashinyan is working for, because it is not the people of Armenia."

The New Constitution and the Azerbaijan Factor

Amsterdam was scathing about Pashinyan's proposed new constitution. "He is ready to give up the Declaration of Independence, ready to give up the historic claims and unity of Artsakh, ready to give up the hostages in Baku. It's incredible what this man is proposing — a further abandonment of the achievements of Armenia's democracy. It is beyond shameful."

He accused Pashinyan of effectively allowing Azerbaijan to "literally control the Armenian constitution and rewrite the Declaration of Independence."

International Response Is Coming

Amsterdam vowed that his team would take the fight to European capitals. "One of the things we'll be doing is speaking out in European capitals concerning the behavior of Pashinyan and educating Europeans about what a threat to European values he represents." He warned that any further attempts to bend or break the law "will meet not only a national but an international response."