Karapetyan's house arrest has been extended by a month.

A Yerevan court has extended the house arrest of Strong Armenia party leader Samvel Karapetyan. The businessman's arrest is hindering the party's preparations for the June parliamentary elections, his lawyer stated.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on January 16, Samvel Karapetyan was transferred from the hospital where he was receiving inpatient treatment to a penal institution by order of an investigator. That same day, a Yerevan court suspended the decision to transfer Karapetyan to house arrest. The court later declined to tighten Karapetyan's pretrial detention and remanded him under house arrest. On January 18, the businessman was released from pretrial detention.

The Anti-Corruption Court extended Samvel Karapetyan's house arrest for a month, his lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, announced today.

"The court granted the investigator's motion. The house arrest has been extended for another month," Novosti-Armenia quotes him as saying.

The hearing, which began on March 13, lasted approximately 10 hours, and the court's decision was announced after midnight. During the hearing, Karapetyan's supporters gathered in the courtyard of the Anti-Corruption Court to express their support for the businessman, News.am reports.

Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan considered the court's decision "direct interference in the electoral process."

"This is a serious problem in terms of ensuring conditions for the political process, equality, fairness, and competition. A situation has developed in which a representative of another political force is campaigning, including by mentioning Samvel Karapetyan, and is actively participating in the formation of the election list. On the other hand, the chairman of the Strong Armenia party has been under arrest for nine months without the slightest legal basis. […] The restrictions imposed on Karapetyan are a serious obstacle to the process of compiling election lists," the publication quotes Vardevanyan as saying.

Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia party has announced its intention to participate in the National Assembly elections, which will take place on June 7. According to analysts, the parties of Karapetyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and former President Robert Kocharyan will be key competitors in the elections. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".

Before his arrest, Samvel Karapetyan expressed support for the Armenian Apostolic Church after Nikol Pashinyan harshly criticized the church at a government meeting and responded to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's objections with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded that Pashinyan apologize for insulting the church, according to a report prepared by the "Caucasian Knot" entitled "The Main Thing About Political Arrests in Armenia in June 2025."

In July 2025, 65 members of the Armenian parliament supported a bill allowing the nationalization of Karapetyan's company, Electric Networks of Armenia. On July 8, security forces searched the company's offices and the home of board chairman Narek Karapetyan.