This article is part of a partnership with OC Media. You can read the original English version here.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee has charged former member of parliament Argam Abrahamyan with ordering the murder of a man he suspected of having an affair with his wife. Abrahamyan is the son of former Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and the son-in-law of opposition figure Gagik Tsarukyan.
A minute-long video released on Saturday morning shows masked officers from the National Security Service (NSS) searching Abrahamyan’s home, wrestling him to the floor, and handcuffing him. He was arrested and, two days later, remanded in custody for two months. He denies the charges, while his lawyer Yerem Sargsyan told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that his client considers the accusation “an obvious absurdity.”
Abrahamyan is accused of ordering his bodyguard, Gegham Hakobyan, to kill a man described as a cleric of a religious organization. According to investigators, Abrahamyan suspected that the victim had a relationship with his wife.
Sargsyan contends that this version of events regarding his client is merely a theory rather than a fact; nevertheless, the Investigative Committee disclosed details of the case concerning Abrahamyan’s personal life. Abrahamyan criticized the move, stating that while gathering such information is an integral part of the investigation, publishing it is illegal and does not serve the public interest of the case.
The case originated in 2023, when Abrahamyan’s bodyguard Hakobyan was detained in connection with a murder. In 2024, the case was sent to court and remained there until recently. Prosecutors returned to the case three years after the murder, shortly after Abrahamyan’s father-in-law, Gagik Tsarukyan, was arrested on financial crime charges.
The disclosure of personal information sparked concern among Armenian civil society and Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan.
“Such a statement is particularly unacceptable and sensitive from the perspective of women’s rights protection. From a human rights standpoint in this context, highlighting such sensitive information in public communication as circumstances linked to religious beliefs is also incomprehensible,” read a statement from Manasyan’s office.
Regarding violations of women’s rights, the statement was referring to Abrahamyan’s wife, Emma Tsarukyan, whose alleged infidelity became a topic of discussion in the Investigative Committee’s report.
This is not the first time the Investigative Committee has released footage of a home search. Since Pashinyan came to power in 2018, publishing video recordings of the arrests of politicians and business figures—including former military commander and ex-MP Manvel Grigoryan, former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, and Gagik Tsarukyan—has become standard practice. These videos align with Pashinyan’s repeated promises to reclaim “all illegal property piece by piece.”
