Ashotian, 48, was an influential figure during former President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule, serving as education minister from 2012-2016 and subsequently heading the Armenian parliament’s foreign relations committee. He has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ever since the 2018 “velvet revolution” that toppled Sarkisian.
Ashotian was charged in November 2022 with abuse of power and money laundering in connection with his past chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of Yerevan’s Mkhitar Heratsi Medical University. The accusations, strongly denied by him, stem from a number of property acquisitions carried out by the university administration on his alleged orders.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee also charged Ashotian with “waste” of public funds following his arrest in June 2023 which it attributed to his alleged attempts to obstruct its investigation. The oppositionist, who is a deputy chairman of Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK), denies this accusation as well.
Last month, the judge presiding over Ashotian’s trial, Vahe Dolmazian, ruled that he will remain in custody for another three months.
The Court of Appeals partly overturned that decision, reducing the detention period by one month, until September 15. The oppositionist’s lawyer, Ruben Melikian, expressed hope that Dolmazian will not extend it again.
“Especially if key witness Karen Hakobian’s cross-examination is completed [by September 15,] I just can’t imagine how Armen Ashotian’s detention can be extended further,” Melikian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Dolmazian has repeatedly refused to free Ashotian during the trial, ignoring petitions from politicians and public figures, including 35 opposition lawmakers. During a court hearing on July 11, the defendant accused the presiding judge of executing Pashinian’s orders.
“[Pashinian] has a grudge against me,” Ashotian claimed, pointing to his harsh criticism of the prime minister.
Pashinian’s political allies as well as prosecutors maintain that the high-profile case is not politically motivated.
Citing unspecified “insider information,” Suren Sureniants, a veteran politician leading a small opposition party, said on Tuesday that Ashotian will be set free or moved to house arrest on September 15 because Pashinian wants to “look like a democrat” ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s “anticipated” visit to Armenia.