The detentions come less than a week after the two hosted a seven-hour episode of their podcast featuring former President Serzh Sarkisian, who sharply criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over his handling of negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh and the 2020 war with Azerbaijan.
But according to what RFE/RL’s Armenian Service has learned, the detentions are linked to the November 10 episode of the Imnemnimi podcast, in which the two hosts discussed Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian and allegedly used offensive expressions and threats.
Officers from the National Security Service (NSS) reportedly took Samsonian to the Investigative Committee after the search. An investigator confirmed that Samsonian has been charged with hooliganism.
Earlier, Samsonian’s lawyer, Ruben Melikian, said he tried to enter his client’s apartment to attend the investigative actions but was not allowed inside.
Saghatelian wrote on Facebook that masked NSS officers had entered his home as well. His lawyer, Arsen Babayan, posted a photo from Saghatelian’s yard, saying he was not permitted to enter. Later, Babayan shared a video showing Saghatelian being detained.
The Investigative Committee confirmed that urgent investigative measures were being carried out as part of a criminal investigation but provided no further details.