Armenia arrests opposition figure Tevanyan on treason charges

A court in Armenia has placed opposition figure Andranik Tevanyan, a parliamentary candidate from the Prosperous Armenia party in the upcoming June elections, under arrest for two months on charges of treason, according to his lawyer Aram Orbelyan, as reported by TASS.

The defence plans to appeal the decision on Monday, May 25, in connection with five counts included in the case, Orbelyan said.

Earlier, Armenia’s Investigative Committee announced on May 21 that it had opened a criminal case against former National Assembly deputy Andranik Tevanyan.

According to investigators, the politician was allegedly recruited by foreign intelligence services in 2024 and received $622,000 for espionage and the illegal collection of state secrets.

It is claimed that Tevanyan passed information to foreign intelligence services regarding closed hearings held in the National Assembly in April 2024, allegedly causing damage to the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and external security.

By Jeyhun Aghazada