Three Citizens Trafficked in Yerevan

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has reported the circumstances surrounding the trafficking of two or more individuals by married couples, following investigative actions within a criminal case handled by the Human Trafficking and Illegal Drug Trafficking Crimes Investigation Department.

According to the Investigative Committee, on May 15, 2019, an adult resident of Yerevan reported to the RA Police's Criminal Investigation Department that starting in 2018, a couple had offered him to sell napkins on Abovyan Street in Yerevan. After that, using violence and threats of using violence, they took all the money he earned in this manner and forced him to continue this work until May 2019.

A criminal case was initiated under Article 132, Part 2, Points 1 and 2 of the RA Criminal Code. The investigation is being conducted by the Human Trafficking and Illegal Drug Trafficking Crimes Investigation Department of the RA Investigative Committee.

In collaboration with officers from the RA Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, comprehensive investigative and operational measures were conducted, revealing the circumstances of the incidents and the identities of the individuals allegedly committing the crimes.

Preliminary investigations have established that the married couple, born in 1976 and 1970, exploited the vulnerability of three residents of Yerevan, including two engaged in begging, using non-dangerous violence against their health and threats to subject them to trafficking. They engaged them in forced labor, organized their retail sale of napkins, and collected the money they earned in this manner.

Based on sufficient evidence obtained, a 43-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman have been charged under Article 132, Part 2, Points 1 and 2 of the RA Criminal Code for trafficking two or more persons for exploitation, utilizing their vulnerability and employing non-dangerous violence against their health and threats. The couples have been detained as a preventive measure. The investigation is ongoing.