Public and political figure detained in Armenia

Coordinator of the "Hayakve" initiative, public and political figure Avetik Chalabyan, has been detained in Armenia, Armenian media report.

The Investigative Committee stated that Chalabyan was detained as part of proceedings being investigated by the IC.

"As part of the criminal proceedings being investigated by the Investigative Committee, A.Ch. has been detained. We will issue an official statement later," the IC noted.

At the end of April, the "Hayakve" initiative joined Samvel Karapetyan's "Strong Armenia" bloc. The cooperation memorandum was signed by bloc representative Narek Karapetyan and "Hayakve" coordinator Avetik Chalabyan in the presence of Samvel Karapetyan. The parties pledged to join efforts to remove the current authorities through elections, as well as to "form a new national government."

Parliamentary elections in Armenia were held on June 7, 2026. In the new parliament, "Civil Contract" received 64 mandates, the "Strong Armenia" bloc — 29, and the "Armenia" bloc — 12. Thus, the ruling force retained a parliamentary majority but does not have the constitutional majority necessary for unilaterally amending the country's Basic Law.

Source: "Sputnik Armenia"