Relatives of Armenian soldiers who died in the 2020 Karabakh war continued their protest outside Yerevan’s Government Building to demand the release of Gayaneh Hakobyan, who is accused of kidnapping the son of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Hakobyan, the mother of soldier Zhora Martirosyan who died in the 44-day war, was detained for a month on May 20 for attempting to kidnap Pashinyan’s son Ashot.

Vahid Sahakyan, the father of Zhora Sahakyan who died in the war, told Hetq that they never imagined that the court would approve the motion of investigators to detain Hakobyan.

"We thought, in the worst case, house arrest, but no one imagined that Gayaneh Hakobyan would be arrested. She is now in the Abovyan penitentiary. Our goal is to see Gayaneh immediately freed," said Sahakyan.

Sahakyan said Hakobyan had no intention of kidnapping Ashot Pashinyan.

Relatives and their supporters believe the government pressured the court to detain Hakobyan.