Prosecutors have yet to clarify whether businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan is permitted to deliver a video address, his attorney said.
Karapetyan, whom the Strong Armenia party has nominated as its candidate for prime minister, is currently under house arrest on charges of calling for the seizure of power in Armenia. His lawyers and allied experts have dismissed the accusations as politically motivated.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, attorney Aram Vardevanyan said media outlets should disregard any incomplete notices from the Probation Service. He argued that only investigative and prosecutorial authorities have the legal mandate to determine the matter and its consequences.
“The question is simple: Is Samvel Karapetyan allowed to deliver a video address or not? The answer presumes either yes or no,” Vardevanyan said. “To date, the Prosecutor General’s Office has not responded to this simple question, while the investigative body again rejected the request in a new petition, stating that it cannot answer the question.”
Vardevanyan called for an end to what he described as Karapetyan’s political persecution, urging either the lifting of the allegedly unlawful preventive measure or a clear ruling from the Prosecutor General’s Office and investigators on whether Karapetyan may issue a video address.
Citing ethical considerations, the lawyer said he would not publish the correspondence exchanged with the authorities.
