A. Kochubaev was arrested yesterday on charges of “publicizing defamatory information or information otherwise damaging the rights and lawful interests of” a judge, prosecutor, or investigator. The charges are based on the Facebook post, in which he strongly criticized the ongoing persecution of the clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, using harsh language.

The charge brought against A. Kochubaev does not correspond to his alleged act. It was selected in violation of the law in order to create an artificial basis for his detention. In accordance with international human rights standards, A. Kochubaev has been subjected to arbitrary detention.

Details and reasoning are available in the statement.

UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders Mary Lawlor’s response to A. Kochubaev’s charges: “I welcome that Armenian lawyer & HRD Aleksandr Kochubaev was released from pre-trial detention, but I strongly condemn the pending criminal charges against him & urge the Armenian authorities to drop them immediately. Mr. Kochubaev is criminalised for criticising the unjust persecution of clerics of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which led the peaceful protests in 2024.