Espionage charges in exchange for peacekeeping efforts Armenian citizens wanted by special services

As expected, criminal charges have been filed in Armenia against two citizens of the republic - Vahe Gambaryan and Ishkhan Verdyan, who asked to be granted Azerbaijani citizenship. Criminal proceedings have been launched against them for "defecting to the enemy and committing treason through espionage".

 Advisor to Armenia's Prosecutor-General Gor Abramyan made the statement on his Facebook page, Caliber.Az reports citing the Armenian media.

"As a result of measures taken in cooperation with the National Security Service (NSS), on August 10, 2022, two separate criminal proceedings were initiated in the investigative department of the NSS under the relevant Armenian Criminal Code articles on two cases of apparent defection to the enemy and committing treason through espionage. Evidence was obtained that Armenian citizen V.G., and I.V., who lives in the Turkish city of Istanbul, were recruited by the special services of a foreign state. To carry out enemy activities, V.K. provided them with assistance of a different nature, on his own initiative, established contact with the staff of the Azerbaijani embassy in Georgia.

They separately, through various means of communication, appealed to Azerbaijani President [Ilham Aliyev] to renounce Armenian citizenship and obtain Azerbaijani citizenship.

On August 18, the supervising prosecutor, based on the collected evidence, decided to initiate public criminal prosecution against I.V. and V.K. under the relevant article of the Armenian Criminal Code.

The petition submitted to the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction for the application of arrest against them as a preventive measure has been satisfied.

The decisions were sent to the Armenian police to search for these citizens. The investigation continues," the Yerevan media reported.

The initiation of criminal cases against Verdyan and Gambaryan, who are making peace initiatives, pursues an obvious goal – to intimidate those Armenian citizens who are thinking about peace with Azerbaijan.