The Armenian Center for Political Rights issued a statement:
“On 11 December 2025, the Council of Europe (CoE) Platform for the Safety of Journalists raised the alarm regarding the detention of journalists Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan in Armenia.
This alarm is classified as Level 1, denoting the most serious interference with media freedom.
The CoE Platform called on the Armenian government to:
Clarify the legal basis for the charges of hooliganism and the alleged “threats” in the case.
Review the legality and necessity of the detention of Saghatelyan and Samsonyan with a view to ensuring their release in accordance with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Clarify the grounds for the seizure of the Antifake.am journalistic equipment and ensure its return.
Provide information on “The progress of the criminal proceedings and conditions of detention.”
The RA government was given a three-month deadline to respond, until March 11 of this year.
Information available on the Council of Europe platform website indicates that the deadline has been missed, and no response has yet been received from the RA government.