In Armenia, former MoD officer accused of disclosing secret order

A criminal case has been initiated against Armen Sargsyan, former head of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia on the fact of disclosing the confidential order of Mikael Arutyunyan, former Minister of Defence, about bringing the Armed Forces of Armenia to the state of special alert on the eve of March 1, 2008.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the inquiry on the case is conducted by the National Security of Armenia.

On December 15, 2009, the oppositional newspaper "Armenian Time" published Order AN-0038 of February 23, 2008, issued by Mikael Arutyunyan, the then Minister of Defence on bringing the Armed Forces of Armenia into the state of special alert before the events that burst out in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008.

Armen Sargsyan was detained in the end of 2009, after on December 15 the newspaper "Aikakan Zhamanak" published a quote from Mikael Arutyunyan's Order of February 23, 2008. His detention was confirmed by Colonel Seiran Shakhsuvaryan, press secretary of the Minister of Defence.

Tigran Atanesyan and Arthur Grigoryan, defenders of Armen Sargsyan, asked the court to replace their client's custody for bail, but on February 10 the court rejected the petition.

The lawyers told journalists that the inquiry data are classified and cannot be disclosed. They have also stated that their client has nothing to do with the incriminated offence, and the charge is far-fetched.