VIDEO: Claims of Political Persecution by supporters of the Republican Party and Their Move to Europe Revealed by NSS

The National Security Service of Armenia’s Yerevan city division, alongside the NSS investigative department, has uncovered a group of individuals who, for personal gain, organized illegal migration for two or more people. This was done in preliminary coordination with the management of a travel agency operating in Yerevan, assigning roles among themselves, and charging between $20,000 to $26,000 for each individual to arrange illegal departures of several Armenian citizens to foreign states and countries within the Schengen Agreement. To facilitate these moves, they prepared fake documents regarding employment, salaries, other incomes, and properties for the individuals traveling abroad, which were then submitted to the relevant authorities in Armenia and abroad.

During the investigation, searches were conducted in the apartments and vehicles of the members of this criminal group, as well as at the travel agency, resulting in the seizure of numerous fake seals, stamps, documents, blank forms, and notebooks containing records of payments made by several dozen citizens who received illegal entry permissions to foreign countries, as well as electronic storage devices.

It is noteworthy that the members of the criminal group went to the extent of presenting false information that significantly undermines the authority and international standing of the state, claiming that certain groups of individuals are being politically persecuted in Armenia due to their views, facing oppression by the authorities, and other similar fabricated circumstances.

Specifically, the factual data available in the case establishes that the group members provided several individuals with pre-prepared texts suggesting that since 2018, the current authorities have started political pressure against members and supporters of the Republican Party, leading them to succumb to persecution and leave their homeland. They were instructed and urged not to deviate from the content of this text.

Moreover, the texts prepared by the group underscored that due to their political views, the lives and freedoms of these individuals are in danger, they have lost their businesses, and they submitted other fabricated claims requesting foreign governments to grant them political asylum.

Based on the factual information obtained during the investigation, the supervising prosecutor decided to initiate public criminal proceedings against six members of the criminal group for organizing illegal migration and for creating and using counterfeit documents and seals under the relevant articles of the RA Criminal Code. Among them, four individuals have been placed under detention, one has been released on bail, and one has been put on the wanted list.

The investigation continues in the criminal proceedings, with necessary investigative actions and operational measures being undertaken to clarify all circumstances of the case and identify all individuals involved in the criminal scheme for legal consequences to be applied against them.

The National Security Service warns that it will continue to undertake adequate measures within its mandate to expose criminal groups organizing the illegal entry of Armenian citizens into foreign countries and hold the culprits accountable. It also informs that the RA Criminal Code prescribes imprisonment for a term of 4 to 8 years for the mentioned criminal act.