Armenia court sets 1 billion dram bail for Narek Karapetyan

An Armenian court has ordered 1 billion drams in bail and imposed a travel restriction on Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the opposition Strong Armenia party, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Thursday.

The decision comes after Armenia's Central Electoral Commission returned a request submitted by the Prosecutor General's Office to detain him, after which prosecutors announced that criminal proceedings had been initiated against Karapetyan.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Karapetyan has been charged under Article 236, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, which concerns coercing a person to participate in a lawful or unlawful assembly through threats of violence, property damage, seizure of property or blackmail, and under Article 296, Part 3(3), which concerns money laundering committed on an especially large scale.

Article 236, Part 2 carries penalties ranging from a fine and community service to imprisonment for up to three years. Article 296, Part 3(3) provides for a prison sentence of six to 12 years for large-scale money laundering.

Responding to the charges, Karapetyan said the case would not deter his political activities.

"We are prepared for these difficulties. We have always been prepared, and we remain prepared now. It is a greater honor for our struggle to be behind bars than outside them. Pressure will not stop us, and prison will not stop our struggle," he said.