Lawyers: Gagik Khachatryan`s serious health condition, confirmed by medical consultations, could not serve as grounds for arrest

ArmInfo. After 27 days, the decision to illegally arrest 71-year-old former RA Minister of Finance and former Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Gagik Khachatryan was not provided to either Gagik Khachatryan himself or his lawyers, who consider this a violation of the rights guaranteed by Article 5, Parts 1 and 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to liberty and security of person). This is stated in a statement by the former minister's legal team.

The statement notes that on September 2, 2026, the Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia issued a ruling on Gagik Khachatryan's arrest for a period of two months, satisfying the petition of the investigator of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, which noted that Gagik Khachatryan (suffering from severe spinal disorders and unable to even walk independently, he may evade the investigation) to influence the course of the criminal case or commit a new crime. Although the defense team did not receive the court's justification for the arrest until 27 days after the court hearing and is therefore unaware of it, Gagik Khachatryan's serious health condition, confirmed by numerous medical consultations, clearly could not serve as grounds for arrest, and, even more so, could serve as grounds for Gagik Khachatryan, while remaining at large, to obstruct the investigation, abscond from the investigation, or commit new crimes.

The lawyers noted that on June 5 and 7, 2026, the investigative body filed motions for Gagik Khachatryan's detention, but the court rejected the motions on both occasions. From June 5 to September 2, Gagik Khachatryan did not attempt to abscond, obstruct the investigation, or commit new crimes. Moreover, during this time, he was working to stabilize his extremely serious health condition. This once again confirms that the justification presented in the petition is manifestly unfounded. After all, this is a case where a person's serious health condition is obvious, and no documentation is required.

Gagik Khachatryan is currently being held in the Yerevan Center correctional facility, deprived of the minimum means to protect his health. It should be noted that during the aforementioned 27 days, Gagik Khachatryan was deprived of the right to file a petition for a special review of his case. Furthermore, a clear legal crisis is unfolding in Gagik Khachatryan's case, as after two months of detention, Gagik Khachatryan and his lawyers were unable to file a petition for a special review and, therefore, were effectively deprived of the opportunity to exercise this important right. This already constitutes a violation of the rights guaranteed by Articles 5.1 and 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"On behalf of Gagik Khachatryan, an application was filed with the European Court of Human Rights regarding the lawfulness of his arrests and detentions, as well as the ineffectiveness of judicial review. The application claimed that Gagik Khachatryan's arrests were carried out arbitrarily and disproportionately, despite the fact that two ambulance crews deemed his transportation medically inappropriate and recorded the need for hospitalization. He was forcibly removed from his bed and transported on a stretcher to the Investigative Committee, where his condition worsened, but this did not prevent him from being taken to court on a stretcher. The application claimed that the aforementioned circumstances led to a violation of the rights guaranteed by Articles 5.1 and 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights," reads the statement from Gagik Khachatryan's legal team.