Former MFA Employee Ashkhen Aleksanyan Sentenced

In the summer of 2025, reports emerged regarding the arrest of a female Armenian diplomat at the airport, which was followed by searches and the confiscation of documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although official bodies initially denied the news, it later became clear that the arrested individual was Ashkhen Aleksanyan, the newly appointed consul in Austria. She was accused of disclosing state secrets through a personal connection with an Azerbaijani national.

The Investigative Committee of Armenia announced that, based on information received from the National Security Service on June 20, 2025, a criminal prosecution was initiated. The MFA employee faced charges of treason, which included conditions for accessing state secrets and assisting in hostile activities. Aleksanyan denied the charges and was detained.

Recently, the Yerevan City Court of First Instance ruled to acquit Aleksanyan of the charge of treason. According to the court's assessment, her actions exhibited characteristics of not betrayal, but abuse of official authority or transgression (under the first part of Article 441 of the Criminal Code).

Attorney Abgar Poghosyan stated to “Hraparak” that the court sentenced his client to two years in prison, yet they intend to appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals, asserting that there is no crime in Aleksanyan's actions at all. The lawyer also indicated that after the verdict gains legal force, they will initiate a legal process for the labeling of ‘state traitor’ and the unfounded accusation, pursuing it to international courts. According to the attorney, Aleksanyan had not yet assumed the role of consul when she was summoned for questioning and voluntarily appeared and assisted in the pre-trial investigation.