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Human rights lawyer Arsen Babayan, a member of the opposition Homeland Party led by former NSS director Artur Vanetsyan, on Saturday released footage of his and his fellows’ detention by criminal police.

The lawyer and his companions were taken to a police station on suspicion of illegally possessing weapons on Friday. They were traveling to the Hrazdan Gorge in central Yerevan in two vehicles, one of which was used by Vanetsyan, when the police stopped them.

Babayan said later that he was let go by the police and was not among the suspects who were also released six hours after their detention.

“Here is the film showing how we “arrested” the police. In this detailed account, we reveal how the police fell right into our trap, completely losing control of the situation,” the lawyer wrote on Facebook, posting the video.

Babayan explained in the video that they were aware of the police's plans to detain them. He claimed that his presence in one of the vehicles came as a surprise to the special police officers who had been deployed outside the Homeland Party headquarters for a while.

The lawyer denounced the detention as politically motivated.

"The police operation targeting Artur Vanetsyan’s car can be seen as a direct move against him. Nikol Pashinyan has apparently resumed political persecution of those who possess significant knowledge of his actions," he said earlier.