Criminal Cases Initiated for Violating Voting Secrecy and Obstructing Investigation

Criminal cases have been initiated regarding violations of voting secrecy and instances of obstructing investigation. On June 20, 2021, an operative officer of the Kotayk division of the Armenian police reported that at polling station No. 29/20, a citizen attempted to take a ballot out of the polling station after casting their vote, an action that was prevented by the head of the commission.

On the same day, the citizen was detained. They stated that around 11:00, after voting at the aforementioned polling station, they took the ballot with the intent of delivering it to the head of one of the parties participating in the snap parliamentary elections, at the latter's request.

A criminal case has been initiated by the Kotayk regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia based on Article 154, Part 1 of the Armenian Criminal Code, with the preliminary investigation entrusted to an investigative team. Decisions were made to arrest both the party head and the citizen; hours later, the latter was arrested on suspicion of violating voting secrecy.

Additionally, during the preparation of materials, the citizen refused to provide explanations in the presence of a lawyer and voluntarily left the investigator's office, ignoring the investigator's requests not to leave and to participate in investigative activities, and departed from the administrative building.

Considering the legal grounds and reasons for initiating a criminal case present in the prepared materials, another criminal case has been initiated under Article 332, Part 1 of the Armenian Criminal Code, with the preliminary investigation being conducted at the Kotayk regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. Numerous urgent investigative and procedural actions have been undertaken. The preliminary investigation into both criminal cases continues, with measures taken to clarify all circumstances surrounding the incidents and ensure an objective and comprehensive examination.