Armenian Ride-Sharing Company GG Raided After Owner’s Anti-Government Social Media Posts

Armenia's law enforcement officers raided the offices of GG, a prominent Armenian ride sharing company (think Uber of Armenia), confiscating its computers just days after the company's founder, Khachatur Grigoryan, called for anti-government protests in Yerevan. The raids also extended to the homes of GG’s top executives, allegedly related to a tax evasion case from a year ago.
Grigoryan founded GG a decade ago and has been vocal in supporting the protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. These protests are led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. On June 12, Grigoryan posted on Facebook urging every citizen to join the protests, emphasizing the importance of participation for the Armenian identity and respect.

The chief of Pashinyan’s staff, Arayik Harutyunyan, quickly condemned Grigoryan’s appeal, labeling it as “offensive” and “unacceptable.” Harutiunyan warned that such expressions could harm businesses rather than add value to society.
Two days after Harutyunyan's condemnation, Armenia’s Investigative Committee conducted a raid on GG’s headquarters in Yerevan and the homes of its executives. The Committee cited a tax evasion case that had allegedly been opened against the company a year ago. Despite the searches, neither Grigoryan nor any company executive faced formal charges by Monday afternoon.
In a statement, GG rejected the criminal proceedings as “baseless and illegal,” linking them to the owner’s active civic stance. A company lawyer described the raids as a continuation of Harutyunyan's Facebook post. The lawyer added that the confiscation of almost all office computers would paralyze the company’s operations, including its on-demand truck and package delivery services.
The Archbishop condemned the raids as politically motivated, accusing the authorities of trying to terrorize various organizations and individuals involved in the struggle for truth.
The Investigative Committee, however, denied any political motives behind its actions against GG, asserting that the searches were part of standard operating procedures in an ongoing investigation that started in May 2023.
The raid has intensified the political climate in Armenia, particularly among business owners who support the protest movement. Grigoryan’s call for protests, which coincided with attempts by protesters to storm the parliament, resulted in violent clashes with the police, further escalating tensions. Protesters tried to break through police barricades, and the police responded without warning using stun grenades to disperse the crowds.
Lawyer Arsen Babayan claimed that the criminal proceedings were political persecution aimed at bankrupting a large company. Another lawyer, Sergey Harutyunyan, noted that the government-affiliated media and representatives had begun criticizing GG even before the raid, suggesting that the actions were a form of revenge for Grigoryan’s public support of the movement and a warning to other business owners.
GG was founded in 2014 and operates in Armenia, Georgia, and Russia.
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