Former Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Hayk Demoyan, has provided details about the search conducted at his home on January 19, noting that the criminal case was initiated back in 2021, according to Factor.am .

Demoyan stated that a commemorative medal made of brass, issued in 2001 for the 1700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia, was seized during the search.

He said he bought the medal last October at Vernissage for 3,000 AMD.

“They arrived without notifying me. My wife and daughter were home. They began the search without waiting for me. The rest took place in my presence,” Demoyan said.

According to him, the criminal case was launched in 2021 following a statement by then-Director of the Genocide Museum-Institute, Harutyun Marutyan, alleging thefts at the museum. Demoyan said he has been interrogated three times in connection with the case, twice at his own request.

“During the very first questioning, it became clear that Marutyan had deliberately provided false information to the investigation which is a criminal offense. I even noted this on a copy of the submitted list, gave a written statement, and signed it. A week later, the investigator, Lusine Haykyan, told me my statement had gone missing from her office. Can you imagine? I asked how. She said: ‘It’s lost, we can’t find it.’ You understand why? Because Marutyan should have been the first to be prosecuted,” Demoyan said.

He added that the investigative body only issued written responses after he made public social media posts, calling the situation a “disgrace.” According to Demoyan, this reflects the vague and questionable handling of the case.

“They’ve now decided to start with me—to intimidate me into silence—because the names involved are high-profile: Ararat Mirzoyan, Vladimir Vardanyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Harutyun Marutyan, Suren Manukyan, and that’s not the full list,” he stressed.

Demoyan asserted that these actions are directly connected to a post by Arayik Harutyunyan, in which the official said he plans to sue Demoyan for “defamatory statements.” In that post, Demoyan accused Harutyunyan of “storming the Genocide Museum, embezzling wages, sponsoring thefts,” and sarcastically asked whether he intended to “hand over the Prime Minister’s ‘Golden Hammer’ award to comrade Fidan for his ‘brilliant’ work at Tsitsernakaberd.”

Demoyan also called for reopening a 2007 criminal case to determine who was questioned and what testimonies were given at the time.

On January 19, Demoyan announced on Facebook that law enforcement had entered his home and were conducting a search. Armenia’s Investigative Committee later confirmed the search was part of an ongoing criminal investigation.