Scandalous Video Released: Ministry of Health Appeals to Law Enforcement

A scandalous video featuring Armenia's Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan and her deputy Levon Hakobyan has been released on the Facebook page of the National Center for Addiction Treatment, which has over 11,000 followers. Previously, this page showcased official news and announcements related to the center.

The post accompanying the video states: "The new coordinator of the National Center for Addiction Treatment is this creature, Deputy Minister Mr. Levon Hakobyan. The head of the laboratory service at the National Center for Addiction Treatment welcomes this step."

The video includes archival footage of Levon Hakobyan discussing a charitable project conducted by the Karapetyan family and the Tashir company. It is noteworthy that Levon Hakobyan was appointed deputy minister of health in March 2019 under Minister Arsen Torosyan (currently an MP with the QP faction) but was dismissed months later. Before his deputy role, he was the director of Tashir Investment Group. After his dismissal, from 2020 to 2023, Hakobyan returned as the director of Tashir Investment Group. In 2023-2024, he was appointed as an advisor to Minister Avanesyan and, by a decision of the Prime Minister on March 27, 2025, became deputy minister once again.

Hours after the video was posted on the Facebook page of the National Center for Addiction Treatment, the Ministry of Health issued a statement declaring that the page does not belong to or operate under the Ministry or the National Center for Addiction Treatment and that the content reflects only the personal opinion of the center’s former director. The statement further emphasized, "The activities of the National Center for Addiction Treatment continue to be covered by the official platforms of the Ministry of Health, as it is a body subject to the ministry. Additionally, the Ministry of Health has recently appealed to law enforcement regarding the nature and content of the publications by that individual. We will soon present the official page of the National Center for Addiction Treatment in a new format," the message concluded.