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KARABAKH ARMENIANS TRIED FOR 'SPYING'
http://asbarez.com/111074/karabakh-armenians-tried-for-%E2%80%98spying%E2%80%99/
Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013
The two soldiers are charged for transmitting sensitive military
information.
STEPANAKERT (RFE/RL)-Two young men have gone on trial in
Nagorno-Karabakh on charges of collaborating with Azerbaijani
intelligence through the Internet.
Rafael Avagian, a 22-year-old Karabakh Armenian soldier, and his
friend Davit Barseghian stand accused of high treason and espionage
stemming from their communication with an obscure foreigner through a
Russian online social network. They both admit having passed sensitive
information on to the man but insist that they did not know that he
was an intelligence officer.
Avagian, the main suspect in the case, told a Stepanakert court on
Wednesday that the alleged Azerbaijani agent identified himself as
Samvel Azatian and claimed to be an Istanbul-based representative of
an Armenian Diaspora charity when they started communicating about
a year ago. He said Azatian claimed that the charity plans to launch
benevolent activities in Karabakh and needs detailed information about
the disputed territory's armed forces as well as civilian institutions
and infrastructures.
"We made friends and fully trusted each other," continued the
defendant. "Some time later he said that they wanted to provide
assistance to the [Karabakh] Defense Army and needed ... details
of army units for that purpose. That is why I sent him information
afterwards."
Avagian said he sent pictures and other details of Karabakh army units
and received about $1,000 and several other "gifts" in return. He
said he then paid Barseghian $200 to travel to an Armenian-controlled
district south of Karabakh to take pictures of Syrian Armenian settlers
living there.
According to Avagian, the online interlocutor afterwards asked him
to make a written pledge to carry out "secret tasks" for money. The
soldier serving in the Karabakh army on a contractual basis said he
signed a corresponding document sent from Istanbul shortly before
his and Barseghian's arrest.
The arrests were announced by Armenia's National Security Service
(NSS) on June 25. In a statement, the NSS also reported the detention
on similar charges of a 31-year-old woman serving in the Armenian army.
The NSS said the woman, Mane Movsisian, communicated through Facebook
and other online networks with an unnamed Azerbaijani intelligence
officer based in Turkey. It claimed that she gave him classified
"information of military nature about Armenia." No further details
were reported.
From: A. Papazian
http://asbarez.com/111074/karabakh-armenians-tried-for-%E2%80%98spying%E2%80%99/
Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013
The two soldiers are charged for transmitting sensitive military
information.
STEPANAKERT (RFE/RL)-Two young men have gone on trial in
Nagorno-Karabakh on charges of collaborating with Azerbaijani
intelligence through the Internet.
Rafael Avagian, a 22-year-old Karabakh Armenian soldier, and his
friend Davit Barseghian stand accused of high treason and espionage
stemming from their communication with an obscure foreigner through a
Russian online social network. They both admit having passed sensitive
information on to the man but insist that they did not know that he
was an intelligence officer.
Avagian, the main suspect in the case, told a Stepanakert court on
Wednesday that the alleged Azerbaijani agent identified himself as
Samvel Azatian and claimed to be an Istanbul-based representative of
an Armenian Diaspora charity when they started communicating about
a year ago. He said Azatian claimed that the charity plans to launch
benevolent activities in Karabakh and needs detailed information about
the disputed territory's armed forces as well as civilian institutions
and infrastructures.
"We made friends and fully trusted each other," continued the
defendant. "Some time later he said that they wanted to provide
assistance to the [Karabakh] Defense Army and needed ... details
of army units for that purpose. That is why I sent him information
afterwards."
Avagian said he sent pictures and other details of Karabakh army units
and received about $1,000 and several other "gifts" in return. He
said he then paid Barseghian $200 to travel to an Armenian-controlled
district south of Karabakh to take pictures of Syrian Armenian settlers
living there.
According to Avagian, the online interlocutor afterwards asked him
to make a written pledge to carry out "secret tasks" for money. The
soldier serving in the Karabakh army on a contractual basis said he
signed a corresponding document sent from Istanbul shortly before
his and Barseghian's arrest.
The arrests were announced by Armenia's National Security Service
(NSS) on June 25. In a statement, the NSS also reported the detention
on similar charges of a 31-year-old woman serving in the Armenian army.
The NSS said the woman, Mane Movsisian, communicated through Facebook
and other online networks with an unnamed Azerbaijani intelligence
officer based in Turkey. It claimed that she gave him classified
"information of military nature about Armenia." No further details
were reported.
From: A. Papazian