Today, on 12 December, the lawyers of political prisoner Samvel Karapetyan reported that pressure is being exerted on the linguist-expert who submitted an opinion in the case.

The defense stated that the expert’s apartment had been searched the previous day. The expert had concluded that Samvel Karapetyan’s statement, the basis for the criminal proceedings, contained no call to seize power, nor any call of any kind.

According to Karapetyan’s defense team, the search of a court-appointed expert’s residence is unprecedented. Although 53 investigators have been assigned to the case, it has not yet been referred to the court, and such actions appear intended also to prolong the proceedings.

The fact that an expert engaged at the initiative of the defense is being subjected to pressure raises significant concerns regarding the principle of equality of arms. Such pressure may have a chilling effect on professionals across disciplines and may deter them from participating in legal proceedings and expressing impartial expert opinions when their involvement has been initiated by the defense rather than the investigating authority.

Details are available in the statement.