How Many Convicted Under the Article of State Treason: Following Pashinyan's Press Conference

On May 7, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed a press conference where he discussed cases initiated under the article of state treason since 2020. According to Civilnet.am, he stated, "Dozens of people have been charged with state treason since 2020, dozens have been arrested, and I assume that most of them already have the status of a convict."

A journalist asked the Prime Minister how it is that the political leadership, at the highest level, regularly makes statements about traitors and agents working against the interests of Armenia, yet the law enforcement agencies do not initiate proceedings based on these claims, qualifying them as political statements.

Regarding cases of state treason initiated since 2020, according to data received from the prosecutor's office, in 2020, one criminal case was initiated by the investigative department of the National Security Service (NSS) concerning state treason, with pre-investigation materials transferred to 2021. In 2021, four cases were examined, which were sent to court with an accusatory conclusion. Legal proceedings were initiated against five individuals, four of whom were in custody.

During 2022, the NSS's investigative department reviewed 17 criminal proceedings under the article of state treason, with ten cases involving 17 individuals sent to court while in custody. As of the end of 2022, there were no finalized judicial acts for the criminal cases sent to court.

In 2023, there were 16 criminal proceedings regarding state treason, one of which was closed for exonerating reasons. Three cases concerning three individuals were sent to court with a prosecutorial conclusion. That same year, two criminal cases against two individuals were concluded in court, resulting in their conviction and sentencing to imprisonment.

As for 2024, as of May 8, two criminal proceedings have been initiated under the article of state treason.

Details available on the source website.