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Opposition activists Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan have called the charges against them a politically motivated effort aimed at stopping them from criticizing the Armenian government.

Judge Arman Hovhannisyan of Yerevan’s Criminal Court on Monday upheld their release, rejecting the prosecutors' request to re-arrest them for three months.

The activists, who co-host the Imnemnimi podcast, were released on 21 May, two months after being detained on charges of “hooliganism” for using slur language to criticize Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government.

Speaking to reporters outside the court building, Samsonyan hailed the judge’s decision as “fair”.

“This cause is absolutely politically motivated and is aimed at silencing us,” he said, adding their detention was punishment imposed by the authorities.

“We have been facing persecution for six years now. I'd like to see an Armenia where the Prosecutor's Office is not engaged in political persecution in the future," Samsonyan noted, promising to comply with the pre-trial release terms.

In his turn, Vazgen Saghatelyan called the motion for their renewed detention “absurd” and a move to put pressure on them.

"I strongly believe that we will be acquitted and will regain our freedom of expression," he added.