A civil court in Yerevan has accepted a lawsuit filed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan against Samvel Karapetyan, the leader of the "Strong Armenia" party, over allegations of defamation.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the details of the case were published on the "Datalex" judicial information system portal. The lawsuit, filed on May 11, was formally admitted into proceedings on May 14 and assigned to Judge Erem Yesoyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction.
The Prime Minister is seeking 6 million drams (approximately $16,000) in damages for what he describes as slanderous information. In addition to financial compensation, the lawsuit demands a public retraction. Specifically, Pashinyan requires the retraction to be broadcast live by at least three media outlets on the YouTube platform with a minimum of 200,000 subscribers each. The text of the retraction must be read in full without any additional commentary or explanation.
The legal dispute stems from previous claims made by Samvel Karapetyan, who alleged that Pashinyan had used hallucinogenic mushrooms during a visit to China. These assertions sparked a significant political scandal in Armenia, leading to the current legal action. This case highlights the ongoing internal political tensions in Armenia, where legal proceedings are frequently used as a mechanism for addressing public disputes between government officials and opposition figures.
