Human rights observers claimed that the arrest was politically motivated and that authorities used a controversial article of the criminal code to intimidate the opposition.

[4] According to Armenian-Bulgarian journalist, Colonel Tsvetana Paskaleva, "Jirair is one of the living icons I knew - Bekor, Monte, Samvel Babayan… I'm happy that I know him!

"[5] On August 6, 2007, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan of the Kentron and Nork-Marash Court of First Instance found Sefilian not guilty of violating Article 301 of Armenia's Criminal Code (issuing anti-constitutional statements), but found him guilty of violating the first section of Article 235 of the Criminal Code (illegal possession of a weapon) and sentenced him to 1.5 years imprisonment.

"[6] In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights fined the Armenian authorities for keeping Sefilian under pre-trial arrest without sufficient legal grounds.

The National Security Service and the Investigative Committee of Armenia announced that “organization of mass disturbances at public places on April 24, 2015 has been thwarted as a result of their joint action".

The head of Armenian Helsinki committee Avetik Ishkhanyan called them prisoners of conscience, "because they did not take any action, they did not incite riots, but had only civil disobedience as their goal".

[9] Sefilian and other leading members of the Founding Parliament were released from custody in May 2015 following a prosecutor's request to change the measure of restraint applied against them to a written affidavit not to leave the country.

According to Armenia's Special Investigation Service, Jirair Sefilian and a group of people planned to seize buildings and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower.

[12] Varuzhan Avetisian, a senior New Armenia member, claimed that the opposition leader was arrested because he planned to campaign against Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

[13] On July 17, 2016 a group of armed men close to Sefilian stormed a district police headquarters in Yerevan, taking several hostages.

[2] The armed group, calling itself Sasna Tsrer, demanded President Serzh Sargsyan's resignation and tried to negotiate Sefilian's release from prison.

[20] On 30 October 2008, Sefilian alongside intellectuals and a group of prominent activists founded the Miatsum (Unification) National Initiative which campaigns against Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan over the Karabakh dispute.

[2] In May 2020, Sefilian signed a declaration called for snap elections and the formation of a new government, which was followed by the founding of the National Democratic Pole, a political alliance including Sasna Tsrer.

[25] Following the Armenian defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Sefilian called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and participated in protests held by the National Democratic Pole.