Young Man Accused of Financially Incentivizing Participation in Protests Arrested

The investigations into the incidents of financially incentivizing individuals to participate in protests under the names "Tavush for the Homeland" and "Sacred Movement" are ongoing. This was reported by the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

It has already been made known that a phone conversation between two men was published on the relevant page of the social network Facebook, where they discuss distributing money to certain individuals to participate in organized protests, the relatively modest amounts being offered compared to what others were taking, and the financial discussions surrounding these issues.

In this regard, factual information has been obtained during the preliminary investigation of the mentioned criminal case initiated by the Major Crimes Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. It was revealed that in May 2024, a 29-year-old young man residing in the Kotayk region undertook measures to financially incentivize individuals participating in the aforementioned gatherings and acts of disobedience.

Organized by him, during May 2024, approximately 5,000 AMD was paid to at least four individuals for one-time participation, ensuring their physical presence at the gatherings.

A public criminal prosecution has been initiated against the mentioned individual under the second part of Article 236 of the RA Criminal Code, and a decision was made to arrest him for presentation to the court. He was arrested on June 5, and charges were brought against him.

A motion has been submitted to the court to choose pretrial detention as a measure of restraint, which was granted. The 29-year-old young man has been detained.

Measures are being taken to identify the sources of financing provided for the recruitment of participants in the protest, as well as the entire spectrum of individuals involved in this process.