54 Defendants in Criminal Case Regarding Mass Disorders Following Ceasefire Announcement

There are 54 defendants in the criminal case concerning mass disorders and related criminal manifestations that occurred in Artsakh following the announcement of the ceasefire on November 9, 2020. This information was disseminated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.

After the publication of the announcement establishing a ceasefire in the Second Artsakh War, signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Artsakh, mass disorders characterized by violence were organized and carried out in the National Assembly of Armenia, the Government building, and other state and public locations. During these events, public calls were made to actively refuse to comply with the legitimate demands of representatives of the authorities, to use violence against individuals, and to usurp power and violently overthrow the constitutional order.

A criminal case was initiated by the Investigative Department of the National Security Service of Armenia under Articles 225(1, 2, and 4) and 301 of the Criminal Code on November 10, 2020. The investigation of this case was assigned to the Investigative Department of the National Security Service. During the incidents, there were cases of illegal entry into the official residence of the Prime Minister of Armenia, revealing theft of someone else's property, and theft of documents. Additionally, threats of violence against life or health were made in the parking lot of the National Assembly, involving the theft of especially large amounts of property from vehicles.

Furthermore, acts of illegal entry into government buildings, including a large amount of property theft, were documented, and various important and official documents were stolen based on personal interests, leading to the initiation of a total of nine criminal cases under various articles of the Criminal Code. The Deputy Prosecutor General of Armenia has assigned the investigation of these cases to the investigators of the National Security Service. Among these cases is also an instance of violence against the President of the National Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan.

Moreover, two criminal cases regarding the illegal acquisition, possession, and transportation of ammunition were also initiated under Article 235(1) of the Criminal Code, which have been joined to the aforementioned proceedings. Currently, 54 individuals have been charged, with detention being requested for 44 of them at the first-instance court in Yerevan. Out of these requests, 21 have been granted, including three for fugitives, while 22 have been rejected, and one has been withdrawn by the prosecutor. Changes and additions to charges against five individuals have prompted repeated requests for their detention, which have been denied by the court. Decisions to extend the detention of nine defendants have been overturned by the Court of Appeals of Armenia.

In total, 16 appeals have been filed against the first-instance court’s unfounded decisions concerning the dismissal of detention requests, with two being partially or fully granted, while one case is still pending. Additionally, seven cassation appeals have been lodged against the unreasonable decisions of the Court of Appeals, with one appeal accepted, resulting in the re-detention of a released defendant.

From the main proceedings, seven separate criminal cases were formed against 23 individuals, with updated indictments sent to the first-instance court in Yerevan, where one defendant has already been convicted. Furthermore, investigations are underway concerning a defendant where issues arose related to obstruction and aiding justice.

At present, the number of defendants stands at 31, one defendant has died, and three individuals remain in custody. Investigations are ongoing, featuring extensive procedural actions, including questioning about 300 individuals, conducting roughly 200 searches, over 40 seizures, and around 70 house searches. Necessary investigative, procedural, and operational measures continue to take place.