Strong Armenia seeks open treason trial, alleges foreign spy networks in Armenia

A senior member of Armenia’s opposition Strong Armenia party on Saturday insisted that on an open and transparent trial on allegations of state treason and espionage, while claiming that intelligence operatives from four foreign countries are active in Armenia.

Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the party, made the remarks while responding to accusations by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan had ties to a foreign intelligence service.

Karapetyan said Pashinyan would face legal proceedings over the allegations and argued that the authorities should identify individuals he claimed were conducting espionage on behalf of four foreign states in Armenia.

“I genuinely believe that agents engaged in espionage should be held accountable by every possible means, even beyond the scope of European conventions,” he told reporters.

Pressed to identify the four countries he was referring to, Karapetyan declined to elaborate.

“The time will come when there will be an open, transparent trial on state treason, where both the defendants and the injured parties will have equal rights,” he said. “Our people will know who they are.”