The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan has ruled to extend by two months the house arrest of Artur Sargsyan, a newly elected member of Armenia’s ninth-convocation parliament from the opposition Armenia faction.
Prosecutors accuse him of “preparing terrorist acts to overthrow the constitutional order,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.
Despite the defence’s continued calls for the MP’s immediate release, the court rejected the arguments presented by his lawyers and granted the prosecutor’s motion.
“Extend the house arrest of defendant Artur Sargsyan for another two months,” Judge Karen Farhadyan announced. The decision sparked outrage among people in the courtroom, who began chanting, “Shame!”
On July 8, 2025, Armenia’s parliament, following a secret ballot held behind closed doors, first stripped Sargsyan of his parliamentary immunity and then authorised his arrest. Prosecutors accuse the opposition MP of preparing terrorist acts aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order.
Sargsyan has said the charges amount to political persecution. He is a close associate of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the opposition Sacred Struggle movement, who has already been arrested on the same charges.
On December 1, 2025, the preventive measure against Sargsyan was changed to house arrest.
By Bakhtiyar Abbasov
