"Mother Armenia" leader files defamation lawsuit against Parliament   Speaker

ArmInfo. Andranik Tevanyan, leader of the "Mother Armenia" party, who is currently under arrest, has filed a defamation lawsuit against National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.

According to the political party's press service, the lawsuit seeks  to compel Simonyan  to retract allegedly defamatory statements made  against Tevanyan within five business days of a court ruling.  According to the lawsuit, the refutation must be published on the  Public Television of Armenia (PTA), on the PTA's official website, on  the First Information Channel website, and featured during a main  broadcast of the "Lurer" news program on YouTube.

"The refutation must be presented both in written and oral form, in  compliance with the publication conditions—time of release,  formatting, and the importance of the presentation of the material.  In the text of the refutation, Alen Simonyan must state that the  claims he made on June 1, 2026, during the pre- election televised  debates that Tevanyan is a 'spy' are untrue. The lawsuit also demands  that Simonyan pay Tevanyan 6 million AMD in damages for the harm  caused by defamation," the party reported.

Furthermore, as the political party noted, Tevanyan demands that  Simonyan must issue a public apology in the same media outlets,  acknowledging that his comments insulted Tevanyan's honor and  dignity. "In the text of the apology, Alen Simonyan must apologize  for statements defaming the honor and dignity of Andranik Tevanyan,  in particular for calling him a 'spy.' The claim also demands  the  reimbursement of all associated legal expenses, including 310,000 AMD  in state filing fees and reasonable attorney fees," the party  concluded.

Recall, on May 21, 2026, the Investigative Committee of Armenia  announced the initiation of a criminal case against Andranik Tevanyan  for "high treason and espionage." Authorities allege that Tevanyan  transferred information containing state secrets to a foreign  government in exchange for $622,000. On the night of May 24, a court  ordered Tevanyan to be held in custody for two months.

Tevanyan's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, stated that there were no legal  grounds for his client's arrest, and added that the opposition  figure's detention occurred under the direct instruction of Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Tevanyan himself has dismissed the  investigation's claims as "absurd," noting that he resigned his  parliamentary mandate in 2023, and therefore, the allegations brought  by the Investigative Committee lack any factual basis.