On March 16, Armenia’s Court of Appeals granted permission for the law enforcement authorities to arrest a well-known general who had called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in 2021, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. 

Major-General Grigori Khachaturov was taken into custody last month on allegations of money laundering, which he has denied. However, a court of first instance released him a few hours later.

The prosecutor overseeing the case appealed the court of first instance's decision to free Major-General Grigori Khachaturov. Court of Appeals subsequently overturned that decision, allowing law-enforcement authorities to arrest him.

MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition bloc "I have honor" criticized the Armenian government for the detention of Major-General Grigory Khachaturov, a son of Yuri Khachaturov, the former chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff. 

According to the opposition MP, the arrest of Major-General Grigory Khachaturov aims not only to discredit the Khachaturov family but also to undermine the armed forces and military officers. He added that this move could potentially discourage other military officers from serving their country. He also expressed concerns that other military officers, both active and retired, may face a similar fate as Grigory Khachaturov.

The MP accused the authorities of preparing for a new border conflict by isolating the country’s competent forces.