Andranik Tevanyan, leader of the Mother Armenia party and a parliamentary candidate from the Prosperous Armenia party in the upcoming parliamentary elections, has been detained, Armenpress reports.
The issue of selecting a preventive measure against him will be considered on May 23 at 12:00 in the courts of general jurisdiction of the Avan and Nor Nork administrative districts.
On May 21, the Investigative Committee said criminal proceedings had been initiated over alleged treason and espionage committed by Andranik Tevanyan.
The prosecutor launched criminal prosecution against Andranik Tevanyan, chairman of the Mother Armenia party and a parliamentary candidate from Prosperous Armenia, under Article 418, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, on elements of treason. Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office reported this.
The Central Electoral Commission had granted the Prosecutor’s Office motions to approve initiating criminal prosecution against Andranik Tevanyan and depriving him of liberty.
On the morning of May 22, it became known that law enforcement officers were searching the Yerevan office of Mother Armenia as part of the opened treason case. Tevanyan was also present during the actions.
On May 21, the Investigative Committee had reported that criminal proceedings were initiated over alleged treason and espionage by Andranik Tevanyan.
According to the Investigative Committee, Tevanyan was recruited in 2024 by foreign special services and cooperated with the director of the Russia Caucasus geopolitical center, who, according to law enforcement, was a representative of foreign special services. Acting on the latter’s instructions, according to the report, he engaged in espionage and passed information containing state secrets. The matter is presumed to concern a closed session held in the National Assembly in April 2024, during which border delimitation issues were discussed and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan took part.
According to the Investigative Committee, A.T. passed information on the course and results of the closed session in Russian translation, receiving $622,000 in return. The criminal proceedings were initiated under Article 418, Part 1 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, on elements of treason, and Article 424, Part 1, on elements of espionage.
Tevanyan was elected a member of parliament on June 20, 2021, through the nationwide electoral list of the Armenia alliance of parties. On August 17, 2023, however, he resigned his parliamentary mandate.
