Opposition Prime Minister Nominee Davit Hambardzumyan Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison

A Yerevan court has sentenced Masis Municipality mayor and opposition nominee for prime minister Davit Hambardzumyan to six years and three months in prison. The verdict, issued by Judge Zhora Chichoyan, concerns an incident that took place during the 2018 Velvet Revolution — the same movement that brought Nikol Pashinyan to power.

The ruling also revoked Hambardzumyan’s bail and ordered that he be taken into custody immediately. Armenia’s opposition parties denounced the decision, describing it as a politically driven attempt to suppress the opposition and prevent a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Pashinyan.

Hambardzumyan was charged under the old criminal code’s Article 250(4) — “armed hooliganism.” The case involves a confrontation that occurred on April 22, 2018, near the Hayanist–Hovtashat junction, at the height of the nationwide protests. Prosecutors claimed that Hambardzumyan and his brother were involved in a violent clash with demonstrators heading to Yerevan’s Republic Square.

He was arrested in 2018 and later released on bail in the autumn of that year. For six years, the case moved slowly through Armenia’s legal system until Wednesday’s final verdict.

Hambardzumyan’s lawyer, Tigran Atanesyan, said that the verdict ignored the lack of evidence and the fact that the case should have qualified for amnesty. “Not a single witness gave testimony against Hambardzumyan, yet the judge still ruled for imprisonment,” Atanesyan said. “This is a textbook example of selective justice.” He announced that the defense would appeal the ruling to the Court of Appeal.

Hambardzumyan, who is currently abroad on a working visit, announced in a Facebook post that he plans to return to Armenia on October 28. He criticized the Yerevan court’s decision, saying it ignored the fact that there was no evidence to support the charges against him. “No fact, no testimony, no proof, no circumstance that could even slightly justify my guilt. Literally nothing. After seven and a half years, the decision to imprison me on a fabricated case shows that the punishment against me is purely political,” he wrote. Hambardzumyan noted that the criminal case from April 22, 2018 — involving the incident at the Hayanist–Hovtashat junction — had been dropped for all other participants, yet he alone was treated as the organizer.

He also referred to his recent nomination as the opposition’s prime minister candidate, saying that he had expected political retaliation. “A few months ago, when I accepted the proposal from the ‘I Have Honor’ parliamentary faction to be nominated for prime minister, I knew the authorities would do everything to neutralize this real threat to them,” he stated. Hambardzumyan called on the opposition and all patriotic citizens to unite around the goal of initiating a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, adding that all necessary conditions for this process exist and that “this is what our people want.”

The Masis mayor has faced several legal challenges connected to the events of 2018. He was previously accused of organizing mass unrest and using violence against protesters in Yerevan’s Erebuni district, but that case was dropped earlier this year due to insufficient evidence. In September, he was detained again over the same incident but released after the court ruled that the detention was unlawful.

The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), led by former President Serzh Sargsyan, condemned Hambardzumyan’s conviction, calling it part of a pattern of political persecution. In a statement, the party accused the government of using the judiciary as “an instrument of the ruling regime,” reviving an old case to sideline a political rival. “By sentencing Davit Hambardzumyan to long-term imprisonment, the authorities are trying to obstruct the constitutional process of declaring no confidence in the Prime Minister,” the statement said. “This is yet another manifestation of deepening authoritarianism and the consolidation of a one-man show in Armenia.”

Hambardzumyan was nominated in June as the opposition’s joint candidate for prime minister by the Republican Party and the “I Have Honor” parliamentary alliance. The nomination was largely symbolic but aimed to challenge Pashinyan’s government through a formal no-confidence process.

Under Armenia’s parliamentary rules, at least 36 signatures are needed to initiate a no-confidence vote, and 54 votes are required for it to pass. With the ruling Civil Contract party holding a majority, the effort faces significant obstacles unless members of Pashinyan’s bloc break ranks.

The rival Hayastan bloc, led by former president Robert Kocharyan, has not yet backed Hambardzumyan’s candidacy. Bloc leader Seyran Ohanyan told reporters this week that they would announce their position soon.

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