An Armenian Foreign Ministry employee has been detained on charges of state treason. According to unconfirmed reports, the young woman was involved in a romantic relationship with an Azerbaijani, and was blackmailed with intimate footage.
The first reports of the case appeared on 29 August, with several Armenian media outlets citing their anonymous sources, and in some cases dismissing each other’s information.
According to the tabloid media outlet Hraparak, the arrest took place ‘nearly two months ago’, which the authorities ‘tried to keep secret’.
The state authorities have since confirmed the arrest, though they did not name the detainee, who local media has named as Ashkhen Aleksanyan.
According to Hraparak, Aleksanyan reportedly served as ‘the Armenian consul in Austria’ and was arrested at the Yerevan Zvartnots Airport upon her return to Armenia.
‘Documents were found on the young woman, and she was suspected of spying for Azerbaijan’, the article read.
Hraparak further reported that following Aleksanyan’s arrest, the National Security Service (NSS) conducted a full-day search at the Foreign Ministry, examining computers and reviewing official documents.
A few hours later that same day, Factor TV cited its unnamed sources as claiming that Aleksanyan was involved in a romantic relationship with an Azerbaijani and that she ‘passed on important information to him'.
Aleksanyan reportedly worked in ‘key departments’ of the ministry and ‘had access to important information’.
Factor TV further noted that, according to their information, during the interrogation, Aleksanyan stated that she had taken money from the Azerbaijani side and did not act alone.
They also reported that the NSS had seized the computers of some other ministry employees.
In turn, Pastinfo, citing its sources at the Foreign Ministry, reported that the arrest took place on Aleksanyan’s departure to Vienna, and not on her arrival, and ‘that extremely important documents were found on her’.
According to unconfirmed reports circulating on social media, Aleksanyan was blackmailed with intimate footage featuring herself.
Following the media reports, the Armenian Investigative Committee confirmed the arrest on the same evening.
The committee stated the case had been launched on 20 June and entailed charges of espionage and treason. If found guilty, Aleksanyan could face up to life imprisonment.
In the same statement, the authorities dismissed the reports that other ministry employees were involved in the case as well, saying that during the preliminary investigation, ‘no data was obtained’ in this regard.
They also refuted the information that the detainee was a high-ranking official, or served as a consul.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
