Russia “closely monitoring” tycoon Samvel Karapetyan’s case, says Kremlin

Russia said on June 20 that it is closely monitoring the case of business tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, who has been jailed in Armenia since Wednesday on suspicion of publicly calling for usurpation of power, a criminal offense in Armenia.

“Of course we are monitoring it. He is a Russian citizen for us. We don’t want to interfere in Armenia’s domestic affairs, but certainly we are closely monitoring everything that pertains to a Russian citizen,” said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, according to RIA Novosti.

On June 17, Karapetyan, a Forbes-listed Russian-Armenian billionaire real estate developer and owner of the Tashir Group, accused the government of waging an anti-church campaign and said he would interfere “in his own way" to put an end to it. Authorities said his statements made in Yerevan amount to a threat to seize power. Investigators pressed criminal charges of “publicly calling for usurpation of power”. A court approved a 2-month pre-trial detention for Karapetyan.

The business magnate has denied wrongdoing. 

Authorities have denied waging an anti-church campaign and have said that the calls to defrock several clergymen, including Catholicos Karekin II, are made in accordance with the church canon law because the latter have violated their vow to celibacy and are thus illegitimately holding office.