861 Reports of Election-Related Crimes Received, 60 Criminal Cases Initiated: Prosecutor's Office

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia has summarized the outcomes of the activities carried out regarding the reports of apparent electoral criminal offenses during the extraordinary parliamentary elections held on June 20, 2021, including incidents prior to the official campaign, the counting of votes, and the recount in specific polling stations, based on data available as of July 2, 2021.

As reported by the Prosecutor's Office, by July 2, a total of 861 reports and signals concerning alleged electoral offenses were received and examined. Among them:

• 269 were publications from mass media;
• 281 were received from individuals, including reports through the hotlines of the Prosecutor's Office;
• 2 were letters received from the Human Rights Defender's office;
• 106 were posts made by citizens on social networks;
• 203 were operational information received from police officers.

Of these allegations of electoral crimes:

• 264 pertained to bribery (Article 154.2 of the Criminal Code of Armenia);
• 226 related to obstruction of electoral rights (Article 149 of the Criminal Code);
• 109 were about voting multiple times or on behalf of another person (Article 153);
• 75 involved the use of violence at polling stations or adjacent areas (Article 149.1);
• 60 were concerns regarding violations of voting secrecy (Article 154);
• 14 related to falsification of election results (Article 150);
• 13 were about violations in the procedure for forming voter lists (Article 152);
• 9 involved acts of violence in polling stations or adjacent areas (Article 149.2);
• 4 pertained to theft of ballots or work-related documents (Article 154.7);
• 3 were about obstructing authorized persons from accessing electoral documentation (Article 154.5);
• 84 were other offenses, including intentional destruction or damage to property (Article 185) and providing false information about being an observer (Article 177).

A total of 490 reports that were abstract and general in nature were sent to the Armenian police for further investigation and verification of the circumstances mentioned. As a result of the conducted operational investigative measures, information from 462 reports was not confirmed and left without follow-up, while investigations are ongoing for 28 reports.

From the total of 861 reports, 371 were forwarded to investigating or preliminary investigation bodies with the aim of preparing materials according to Articles 180-181 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia. Consequently, 270 cases were dismissed for lack of grounds for initiating a criminal case, while 41 are still under preparation.

Criminal cases have been initiated in 60 instances, including:

• 26 for cases of offering, accepting, or mediating bribes, including those committed by a group of individuals through prior agreement;
• 8 for damage to pre-election posters resulting in property damage;
• 4 for coercing participation or non-participation in pre-election campaigns, also by a group;
• 4 for obstructing the exercise of electoral rights or the work of electoral commissions;
• 4 for violations of voting secrecy;
• 3 for voting multiple times or on behalf of another;
• 2 for acts of violence or threats of violence in polling stations or adjacent areas;
• 2 for abuse of office coupled with violence;
• 1 for coercing two or more individuals to participate in elections or vote for specific parties;
• 1 for attempting to sell forged ballots by a group;
• 1 for theft of a polling station member’s individual seal;
• 1 for entering a polling station with a weapon;
• 1 for obstructing a journalist’s professional activities;
• 1 for embezzlement of particularly large amounts allegedly related to the electoral process;
• 1 for coercing individuals against participating in a rally.

Criminal prosecution has been initiated against 66 individuals, of whom 65 hold the status of accused, and 1 as a suspect. Detention has been chosen as a measure against 16 of the accused. Among those prosecuted are candidates from four political forces participating in the elections, namely two parties and two party alliances, including 4 from the “I Have Honor” alliance, 1 from the “Armenia” alliance, 1 from the “Prosperous Armenia” party, and 1 from the “Elevation” party. Detention has been selected as a preventive measure for 6 of them, and the Prosecutor's Office has submitted a request to the Central Election Commission to grant permission for initiating criminal prosecution against 1 member of the candidate list.

Searches have been launched for 2 individuals, one of whom is a candidate for parliament.

Preliminary investigations have been completed for 4 criminal cases initiated in connection with apparent electoral crimes, two of which concern bribery, one pertains to coercing individuals regarding participation in elections, and one for coercion to participate in pre-election campaigning. Two of these cases have been forwarded to court for substantive examination with an accusatory conclusion.