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Lawyer Arsen Babayan, a member of the opposition Homeland Party Board, on Tuesday commented on the detention of Narek Samsonyan, head of the Civic Consciousness NGO and founder of AntiFake.am news outlet, saying it is punitive in nature.

Samsonyan was detained for “grave insult” earlier on Tuesday.

"Narek Samsonyan's detention is punitive in nature,” the lawyer wrote on Facebook.

The Criminal Code of Armenia envisages a maximum penalty of up to 3 months in jail for the act imputed to Narek Samsonyan, he stated.

“Under this article imprisonment as a measure of restraint cannot be applied, since according to the Criminal Procedure Code the accused can be arrested only if there is a reasonable suspicion that he has committed a crime, for which the maximum term of imprisonment is more than a year.

“The Investigative Committee is well aware that Narek Samsonyan can be held (and unlawfully) for a maximum of 72 hours (the maximum period for detention). Thus, the investigator used detention against him as a punishment. It becomes clear that he received the order directly from Nikol Pashinyan,” Babayan said.