Charges Filed Against Operator of Fake Facebook Page 'Diana Harutyunyan'; Arrest Made

The operator of the fake Facebook page 'Diana Harutyunyan' has been arrested. This information was provided by the press center of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia.

The individual faces charges under Article 226, Part 2, Clause 1 of the Armenian Criminal Code (inciting national, racial, or religious hatred publicly or through media) and Article 254, Part 1 (illegal access to computer information).

It should be noted that on January 3, information was published on the 'Diana Harutyunyan' Facebook page claiming that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had congratulated the U.S. president concerning an action taken against a senior Iranian military officer. This fake news had also spread in Azerbaijani and Iranian media outlets.

Responding to this, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on his Facebook page, 'This is a case where the false 'freedom of speech' has posed a threat to our national security. The authors of the news and their motives must be clarified.'

On January 5, the NSS announced that as a result of operational-search measures, the identity of the operator of the 'Diana Harutyunyan' Facebook page had been revealed, who was apprehended, gave a confession, and was then arrested.