Disagreement Between Russia and Armenia on Extradition of Former NSS Chief Mihran Poghosyan

The issue of possible extradition of former Chief of the Armenian National Security Service, Mihran Poghosyan, is still unresolved between the law enforcement agencies of Russia and Armenia as of this moment. Furthermore, the Russian authorities have not notified Armenia about Poghosyan's potential arrest, while the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office has not reached out to their Russian counterparts to clarify whether Poghosyan is indeed detained and if he is being prepared for extradition to Armenia.

This information was reported by Factinfo. It is recalled that news regarding Mihran Poghosyan's arrest in Moscow emerged on November 20, circulated by Russian Telegram channels known for their accurate coverage of criminal chronicles. The Mash Telegram channel stated, “The Armenian police’s central office has already been informed about his detention. Poghosyan will be extradited in the near future,” adding that the Russian side had previously denied the Armenian request to send Poghosyan back home.

As noted, Armenian law enforcement agencies do not confirm that any notification regarding Poghosyan's arrest has been received. Moreover, there are reports circulating suggesting that Mihran Poghosyan was detained in Moscow following a dispute with a traffic police officer and was subsequently released.

Factinfo submitted a written inquiry to the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office to clarify the current status of Poghosyan's extradition process, whether Armenia has received a notification from the Russian law enforcement agencies, and if not, whether the Armenian Prosecutor's Office has reached out to their Russian counterparts considering that news regarding his arrest and extradition has been reported by Russian media.

In response to Factinfo's inquiry, the Prosecutor General's Office only noted that the latest request for Mihran Poghosyan's extradition to Armenia was sent to the Russian authorities on August 9, 2023. It can be stated that no response has been received from Russia in the past three months.

The measures aimed at ensuring the extradition of M. Poghosyan to the relevant authorities of Armenia continue; joint efforts are being carried out with the Russian side to resolve the issue of extradition,” the Prosecutor's Office stated.

This indicates that no developments have occurred in November and that the Armenian Prosecutor's Office is unaware of the Russian Prosecutor's Office's plans regarding whether the request for Mihran Poghosyan's extradition to Armenia will ever be satisfied.