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Former Armenian Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan denounced the authorities for the arrest of Gayane Hakobyan, the mother of soldier Zhora Martirosyan who was killed in the 2020 Artsakh war.

The Shengavit District Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan on Saturday approved the woman’s pre-trial detention for one month after she was charged with attempting to “kidnap” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s son, Ashot Pashinyan, sparking anti-government protests in the Armenian capital.

Several dozen other relatives of soldiers killed in action, who were angered by the court decision, announced a nonstop sit-in outside the Armenian government building, demanding her release.

In a statement on Monday, Manukyan paid his respects to Hakobyan and her family, crediting the Armenian people’s survival and feats to the families of fallen heroes.

He called the charges “fabricated” and accused the authorities of ordering the woman’s arrest.

“Unlike Gayane Hakobyan's family, we see another family that is destroying both the future of Armenia and its own children," Manukyan said.