Attempt to Extort Money from Navasardyan by Threatening to Publish Defamatory Information

A criminal case has been initiated under the characteristics of extortion by the Talin investigative division of the Aragatsotn regional investigative department of the Republic of Armenia's Investigative Committee.

According to Shamshyan.com, the criminal case was opened based on a complaint from 66-year-old Henrik Navasardyan, a resident of the Davitashen administrative district of Yerevan. Navasardyan reported to the Talin police that in November 2018, he received a call from Arman Sargsyan, a resident of Yerevan, who introduced himself as a journalist and demanded money from him.

After Navasardyan refused, Sargsyan threatened him, stating that if he did not help him financially, he would publish defamatory materials about him on his website.

According to the website's information, Sargsyan has made numerous similar calls to several village heads and officials, offering them money. In some cases, he also sent text messages via phone, but after being refused, he threatened individuals that he would publish defamatory materials about them in the electronic media he created. There was also a case where he threatened one of the village heads in the Armavir region, stating that if he did not pay, he would report to law enforcement that the village head possessed a weapon, and contacted the police with such a statement.

Henrik Navasardyan is the head of the Transport Department of the Yerevan City Hall.