In the Investigation Department of the RA NSS the preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated on the facts of organizing mass riots on 10 November, 2020 in the buildings of the RA Government, the National Assembly and other objects of state importance and public places with the use of violence, pogroms, destruction, damage to property or armed resistance to a representative of the authorities, participation in them, during mass riots, calls for active disobedience by participants to the lawful demands of representatives of the authorities or the use of violence against persons, seizure of power, public calls aimed at the violent overthrow of the constitutional order, as well as coercion of the National Assembly and the Government, acquisition and storage of illegal weapons and ammunition, in the course of which, on the basis of the body of sufficient evidence accumulated, the preliminary investigation against three more persons was completed, the case against them was separated into a separate proceeding and, with the indictment  was sent to the prosecutor supervising the legality of the preliminary investigation, with a request to transfer the case to the court for its consideration on the merits.

The National Security Service informs that during the preliminary investigation carried out by the investigative group in the mentioned multi-episode criminal case, for participation in mass riots, robbery and commission of various crimes by the body conducting the proceedings, criminal prosecutions were initiated on mass riots against about 53 participants or organizers, of which 9 criminal cases against 27 persons were separated and sent to the court with an indictment.

At the same time, according to the results of the judicial investigation of criminal cases sent to the court, 7 persons have already been convicted, they have been sentenced to imprisonment, and for the rest of the persons, the judicial investigation is in progress.

It should be noted that as a result of the investigative and other procedural actions taken by the preliminary investigation body, as well as the complex operative-search measures carried out in parallel with them, the identities of more than 550 persons were established, and the data of other participants in the mass riots were clarified, in the direction of detection of which active search work is underway.

Large-scale operative-search and investigative actions are being taken in the criminal case in the direction of identifying the organizers of the mass riots, their role, the complete picture of the crimes committed, finding out the identities of other persons involved in the case, and initiating criminal prosecutions against them.

At the same time, it is reported that the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia will carry out a consistent fight in the direction of preventing, disrupting and disclosing crimes against the foundations of the constitutional order and state security, calling on the broad strata of the general public to show exclusively law-abiding behavior and not to give vent to, due to narrow personal or other motives, provocative appeals and exhortations undermining the internal security of the country.

Note: The suspect or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent as long as his guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.