Narek Sargsyan Transferred to Refugee Camp

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reported on March 5 that a court session was held in the Czech Republic regarding Narek Sargsyan, the nephew of Serzh Sargsyan, who has become known as Franklin Gonzales.

The session was convened to discuss the request of the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia for Sargsyan's extradition. However, according to information obtained by the media, Czech law enforcement has suspended the consideration of his extradition case.

"Zhoghovurd" has learned that during the next court session on April 4, Czech authorities noted that Narek Sargsyan expressed a wish to be transferred from a Prague correctional facility to a refugee camp. His application was not denied, and he was subsequently moved to the refugee camp.

During the court session on April 4, the presiding judge announced that one criminal case related to Narek Sargsyan is under investigation, concerning the circumstances under which and by whom he presented a falsified Guatemalan passport with Franklin Gonzales’ personal information when he was discovered in Prague.

According to the media’s assessment, Narek Sargsyan informed Czech law enforcement that he is being politically persecuted, is requesting political asylum, and cannot return to Armenia. As a result, he was transferred to the refugee camp, where concerns regarding the acquisition of a fake passport in his home country are being examined separately.

It is worth noting that an international wanted notice had been issued for Narek Sargsyan. He was arrested on December 6, 2018, in one of the apartments in Prague's 5th district by officers from the Prague Territorial Police's Criminal Investigation Division. He is currently in custody. On January 4, 2019, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia sent the necessary documents for Sargsyan’s extradition to the law enforcement agencies of the Czech Republic.