Several Armenian opposition groups issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the arrest of Samvel Karapetyan, the leader of the Strong Armenia party, and announcing the formation of a nationwide movement to oppose what they call the imposition of an “Aliyev constitution.” The statement was published after a closed-door meeting of opposition representatives at Karapetyan’s residence in Yerevan.
Karapetyan was remanded into pre-trial detention on Thursday in a criminal investigation into alleged embezzlement, money laundering and abuse of authority at Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), the utility company he acquired in 2015.
He was arrested on Wednesday after law enforcement searched his residence and dozens of other locations connected to the case. Armenia’s Investigative Committee said criminal proceedings had been initiated against 36 people, accusing them of causing ENA more than $180 million in damages through embezzlement and money laundering.
In its statement, Strong Armenia accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of using the case to pressure the opposition over the proposed constitutional changes.
“By arresting Samvel Karapetyan again, Pashinyan is trying to force the adoption of Aliyev’s constitution through undemocratic methods,” the party said.
The joint statement was signed by 13 political groups, including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Armenian National Congress, and Prosperous Armenia. The signatories said that they had agreed to form a nationwide movement in response to what they described as serious challenges facing Armenia and its statehood.
The document outlined four priorities: rejecting the alleged imposition of an “Aliyev constitution”; achieving peace without unilateral concessions or territorial losses; protecting national identity and the Armenian Apostolic Church; and restoring democratic freedoms and rights. The groups also called on other political forces and public figures to join the initiative.
The statement did not specify how the proposed movement would be organized or what joint actions its members planned to take.
The opposition initiative comes amid a dispute over constitutional reform. Azerbaijan has demanded that Armenia remove a reference to the country’s 1990 Declaration of Independence from its constitution, arguing that the document contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Baku has said it will not sign a full peace agreement without the change. The agreement was initialed by the two sides last year but has yet to enter into force.
Karapetyan was first arrested in June 2025 after publicly siding with the Armenian Apostolic Church amid its confrontation with Pashinyan. He was charged with publicly calling for a violent change of government and money laundering, and was later released under house arrest.
His Strong Armenia party, founded in 2025, finished second in the June parliamentary election, winning 23.3% of the vote and 29 seats. The government has been seeking to nationalize ENA since Karapetyan’s initial arrest, citing the utility’s importance to national security and the daily lives of citizens. The takeover proceedings have yet to be completed.
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