Brother of Masis ex-mayor arrested for one month

ArmInfo.  The repression against Gor Hambardzumyan is motivated by the fact that he is merely the brother of David Hambardzumyan, and political retribution has affected family members. This was reported by lawyer Gayane Papoyan on her Facebook page.

She reported that a criminal case has been opened against Gor  Hambardzumyan under Articles 204 (violation of personal or family  privacy), 457 (forgery of documents), 255 (fraud), and 296  (large-scale money laundering). The investigator filed a motion for  his arrest, which was granted by the court. However, according to the  lawyer, the prosecution has only one goal: to stage another show,  which collapsed during the court hearing. The court found a lack of  reasonable suspicion for several articles. It was noted that the  evidence presented may primarily indicate the commission of an  alleged, rather than a substantiated, crime.

Regarding the money laundering charges, Papoyan emphasized that the  money was deposited onto a bank card used by Gor Ambartsumyan and  withdrawn by him. This fact is not denied by either the prosecution  or the defense. "Due to the secrecy of the preliminary investigation,  unfortunately, we cannot provide many details. In any case, the  defense has substantiated its position. The court ordered Gor  Hambardzumyan's detention for one month, which we disagree with and  will certainly appeal. It appears that Gor is being accused of  something that any of us could have been charged with. Ultimately,  it's illogical to think that if someone is involved in a crime, they  must have committed it using the bank card they used. This case  reveals the true face of the system: accusations have become a tool,  not a legal basis. Criminal charges have become labels. 

This accusation demonstrates that the repression against Gor is  motivated by the fact that the latter is merely David Hambardzumyan's  brother," the lawyer emphasized. As a reminder, in October 2025,  David Hambardzumyan, previously nominated by the opposition for prime  minister during the impeachment process, was sentenced to six years  and three months in prison. He was accused of using a firearm against  protesters and organizing riots in 2018. On January 19, the court  placed Hambardzumyan under house arrest. Bail and a travel ban were  also imposed as an alternative preventive measure