Court arrests journalist Lilit Aghekyan 

ArmInfo. In total, the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has investigated 5 criminal cases (10 episodes) against L.A. (journalist Lilit Aghekyan - ed.), and currently 2 criminal cases (3 episodes) are at the preliminary investigation stage.

Ivestigative journalist from Gyumri Lilit Aghekyan was previously  arrested for a month. According to the investigation, the reason for  the detention was the obscene statements that Aghekyan allegedly made  in one of the schools addressed to students and teachers. In  addition, during the announcement of the court decision, she  allegedly showed disrespect for the court - she shouted insults and  used obscene language.  After the arrest, her lawyer Zaruhi  Postanjyan reported that her client was humiliated and tortured in  the police. According to Postanjyan, at the police station where  Agekyan was being held, police officer Karen Gevorgyan ordered her to  be undressed in front of the surveillance cameras and searched.  .  After the examination, she was transferred to the hospital. That is,  it was not enough for the police that Lilit was detained in a  nightgown and slippers, without hygiene products>, the lawyer claims.  In addition, Karen Gevorgyan threatened Agekyan, saying that he would  not forget that she was the only journalist who wrote about him,  Postanjyan claims.

In response to Postanjyan's statements, the press secretary of the  Ministry of Internal Affairs Narek Sargsyan said that this  information is not true. , he said.

According to today's report from the Investigative Committee, between  May and October 2023, L.A. sent 18 statements to the heads of various  law enforcement agencies regarding the alleged illegal actions of the  director, employees and students of one of the schools in Gyumri. As  a result of operational-search activities and verification activities  to verify the circumstances specified in the above statements, no  data on crimes and other offenses were received, about which L.A. was  notified in writing. Meanwhile, instead of appealing them in the  prescribed manner, the latter expressed his disagreement in written  publications posted on his page on the social network .

In particular, on his Facebook page, L.A. published slanderous  information regarding the prosecutor of the Shirak region of the RA  Prosecutor's Office and employees of the prosecutor's office of the  same region, the head of the Shirak regional Investigative Department  of the Investigative Committee and persons holding independent  positions in the same department, the acting head of the Shirak  regional Police Department of the RA and employees of the same  department, as well as the Human Rights Defender of the RA, other  information that harmed their rights and legitimate interests  provided for in Articles 23 and 31 of the RA Constitution, according  to which the 5 criminal proceedings initiated were combined into one  proceeding.

A public criminal prosecution was initiated against L.A. under Part 2  of Art. 490 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (threat  against a judge, prosecutor, investigator, head of an investigative  body, inquiry body, lawyer, representative, expert or enforcement  officer, or dissemination of information about them, or destruction  or damage to their property, or use of violence against them) (10  episodes).

On July 31, 2024, the criminal case was sent to the supervising  prosecutor with an indictment, which was approved and sent to the  Shirak Regional Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction.

In addition, on August 22, 2024, in order to execute the petition for  an order to forcefully transfer the case to the body conducting the  proceedings, an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs police  visited L.A.'s apartment, where the latter made numerous slanderous  and offensive statements addressed to the police officer.

On August 24, the police officer filed a report stating that  slanderous and offensive statements about him were posted on L.A.'s  Facebook page, on several news sites and on YouTube channels, under  which his photos and videos were posted, which harmed his rights,  honor and good reputation, and also hindered his activities as an  officer.

On August 25, 2024, based on the report, a criminal case was  initiated under Part 2 of Article 490 of the Criminal Code. As part  of the proceedings for the above-mentioned crimes against justice,  L.A. a more lenient preventive measure was applied, not involving  imprisonment - a written undertaking not to leave.  Then, on December  14, 2024, L.A. made obscene statements about the employees and  students of one of the schools in Gyumri, as a result of which the  normal work of the above-mentioned organization was hampered.

In addition, L.A. shouted obscene expressions at the court staff and  a participant in the trial in the Shirak Regional Court of General  Jurisdiction, and also humiliated a participant in the trial, which  interfered with the normal operation of the above-mentioned  institution.

After this, L.A. during the court hearing scheduled for April 18,  2025 in the Shirak Regional Court of First Instance and after the  hearing showed disrespect for the judge of the Shirak Regional Court  of First Instance, which was expressed in insulting the judge in  connection with the exercise of his official powers, namely in the  courtroom, in the corridor of the administrative building of the  court, he used obscene language towards the judge. The entire course  of action was filmed on video and published by L.A. on her page in  social networks.

A public criminal prosecution was instituted against L.A. under Part  1 of Article 297 (hooliganism) (2 episodes) and Part 2 of Article 489  (disrespect for the court, expressed in insulting a judge in  connection with the exercise of his official powers) of the Criminal  Code of the Republic of Armenia.  

The court, having considered the petition, confirmed the validity of  the suspicion that L.A. had committed obvious crimes and, having  assessed the materials of the criminal case presented, made a  decision to choose a preventive measure in the form of detention for  him, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.