The Prosecutor's Office is Investigating the General Staff's Statement Demanding Pashinyan's Resignation

The Prosecutor's Office has made the statement by the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces on February 25 demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government the subject of an investigation. This was confirmed by the Prosecutor General's Office in response to a query from ‘Factinfo’, stating that a criminal case could be initiated.

“We are closely monitoring the developments. If during our observations actions emerge that fall under the classification of criminal acts prohibited by law, there will be a rapid legal response in accordance with the spirit of our previous day’s statement,” said the Prosecutor's Office.

In response to a clarifying question as to whether the Prosecutor's Office is also examining the part of the statement where the generals stated that the ineffective governance of the current authorities and serious mistakes in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of disaster, the Prosecutor's Office responded that the bodies handling criminal prosecution cannot be guided by general statements.

This means that the military's statement threatening the country's security has not concerned the Prosecutor's Office, thereby proving that this agency has transformed into an executor of Nikol Pashinyan’s orders and plays a clear negative role in the country's deterioration.

According to their representatives, there is a clear procedure for submitting a report of a crime, and if such details are presented that contain specifics of criminal conduct, it will become a subject of proper investigation. This rationale clearly illustrates a double standard; if a report of a crime is mandatory, then why has the military's statement been divided into two parts, with only the resignation aspect being investigated? Was a report of a crime submitted in that regard?

Additionally, the Prosecutor's Office should perhaps be aware of Article 176 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, which states that a press publication can also be grounds for initiating a criminal case. Moreover, the Prosecutor’s Office and other law enforcement bodies are obligated to initiate proceedings if they discover information related to a crime during their activities. Thus, if the Prosecutor's Office is examining the statement of the Chief of the General Staff and the command, it is obliged to provide a legal assessment of the security-threatening evaluations presented therein.

It should be noted that yesterday, the Armenian Armed Forces General Staff issued a statement joining the demand for the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan and his government.

“The General Staff of the Armed Forces expresses its decisive protest against the removal of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for short-sighted and unfounded reasons, carried out without considering the national and state interests of the Republic of Armenia, based solely on personal and ambitious feelings: In such difficult conditions for the country, such a decision is an anti-state and irresponsible step. The Prime Minister and the government can no longer make adequate decisions in this critical and fateful situation for the Armenian people. The Armed Forces have patiently endured the 'attacks' directed at discrediting the armed forces by the current authorities for a long time, but everything has its limits. The Armed Forces have honorably fulfilled their duty, fighting alongside their people against the enemy. The ineffective governance of the current authorities and the gravity of mistakes made in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of disaster,” the generals highlighted, emphasizing that the army has always been with the people as the people have been with the army.

Following this statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Nikol Pashinyan declared that it was an attempted military coup and called on his supporters to gather at Republic Square, after which he led a march in Yerevan.

It is notable that after the statement from the General Staff, rumors circulated that a criminal case had been initiated directly on Pashinyan's orders and that a decision had been made to arrest Onik Gasparyan, which was naturally denied by the Prosecutor General’s Office yesterday. However, today, the Prosecutor's Office announced that it is examining the statement of the General Staff.