Oposition MP accuses Armenian law enforcement agencies of carrying  out RA premier`s political orders 

ArmInfo. Gegham Manukyan, a member of the Armenian parliament from the opposition "Armenia" faction, accused the country's law enforcement agencies of carrying out the political instructions of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and persecuting opponents of the government.

 Referring to the criminal prosecution of Andranik Tevanyan, leader of the Mother Armenia party and number two on the list of candidates for parliament from the opposition "Prosperous Armenia" party, the MP questioned how anyone could hate the state, the state system, the authority, the  reputation, the honor of the state and security structures, and the  honor of an officer's epaulettes so much as to issue a political  order to the National Security Service.

"How can you have such a slavish mindset, ignoring your epaulettes,  even if they were earned dishonestly and are still brand new, your  department, and the authority of your subordinates, turning the  instructions of your superior, Nikol Pashinyan, into a task or order?  How dishonestly you trample on the authority of your epaulettes and  officer rank, writing nonsense, passing it off as intelligence, and  then turning it into a report.  A greater leap in thinking was not to  be expected from the obedient NSS, hunting for devils. I won't even  mention the Investigative Committee; they've been doing this for a  long time. I am writing all this as a member of the parliamentary  standing committee on defense and security," the opposition figure  wrote on his Facebook page.

On May 21, the Investigative Committee (IC) of Armenia announced the  opening of a criminal case against Andranik Tevanyan for "treason and  espionage." The Investigative Committee announced that it received a  report from the National Security Service of Armenia alleging that  Tevanyan was "recruited in 2024 on behalf of a representative of  foreign intelligence services, who was the director of the  Russia-Caucasus geopolitical center. He carried out espionage and,  for $622,000, illegally provided the latter with information,  translated into Russian, containing state secrets regarding the  progress and results of hearings held at a closed, secret session of  the National Assembly in April 2024."

Tevanyan himself called the investigation's allegations absurd,  noting that he resigned his parliamentary mandate in 2023 and,  therefore, such allegations by the Investigative Committee are  baseless. It is noteworthy that the day before the Investigative  Committee of Armenia opened a criminal case, on May 20, during a  pre-election rally in Vanadzor, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan declared Tevanyan a traitor to the homeland.

He added that on May 21, "the National Security Service of Armenia  will forward the criminal case to the Investigative Committee,  expecting that a criminal case will be opened against Andranik  Tevanyan for 'treason.'" The Armenian prime minister then again  promised to "completely and completely eradicate the 'spy network' in  Armenia."