Investigation opened over archive data leak to Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case concerning the alleged transfer of materials from the National Archives to Azerbaijan. The investigation is based on charges of treason and espionage under Articles 418 and 424 of the Armenian Criminal Code.

While the specific timeframe and nature of the transferred materials remain undisclosed, the committee confirmed that no current employees of the National Archives have been detained or arrested. However, there is at least one suspect in the case, reportedly a former employee of the archives.

Media reports have suggested that a leadership group within the National Archives was arrested for providing materials to an adversary, but the Investigative Committee has not confirmed these claims.

Former director of the National Archives, Amatuni Virabyan, who led the institution until 2020, stated that the suspect is his former deputy. He emphasized that the incident did not occur during his tenure and that the archives do not contain classified information.

Virabyan noted that during his leadership, the archives provided information about Azerbaijanis who lived in Armenia in the 19th and early 20th centuries, in accordance with laws governing the Commonwealth of Independent States. He asserted that these actions were legal and unrelated to the current investigation.