Criminal Charges Filed Against Two Individuals for Committing State Treason: Investigative Committee Details

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has reported that criminal proceedings have been initiated against two citizens for espionage and state treason conducted against the state, constitutional order, and public safety. According to evidence obtained through investigative actions in this case, citizens V.M. and S.J. have committed state treason, undermining the sovereignty and external security of the Republic of Armenia by providing assistance to a foreign special services representative.

Specifically, V.M. crossed the state border of the Republic of Armenia with his family on September 4, 2015. Subsequently, he engaged in hostile activities by crossing into Azerbaijan, traveling to Baku, where he met representatives of the Azerbaijani special services. After being recruited by them, he signed a cooperation agreement, after which he made anti-Armenian statements through mass media, denigrating the authorities of the Republic of Armenia and praising the Azerbaijani authorities, which were used in the media.

After that, under the supervision and instruction of Azerbaijani special services, V.M. established a pseudo-ideological organization titled "Peace Platform" through false social media accounts, where he recruited Armenian citizen S.J. In 2017, knowing of V.M.'s activities, S.J. crossed into Azerbaijan, traveling to Baku, where he met with representatives from the military sector. After being recruited, he signed a cooperation agreement and, in exchange for money, disclosed state secrets, including information related to military units in Karvachar and the Republic of Armenia. Subsequently, at the request of Azerbaijani special services, he gave an interview in which he praised Azerbaijan while making anti-Armenian statements that were disseminated by mass media.

Based on the gathered evidence, the investigator has submitted motions to the supervising prosecutor for initiating criminal proceedings against V.M. and S.J. under Part 1 of Article 418 of the RA Criminal Code, which have been approved. Pre-trial detention has been applied as a measure of restraint for both individuals, and they have been declared wanted. The investigation is ongoing.