Supporters Say Decorated Commander Is Being Targeted for Political Reasons, Not for State Secrets

Colonel Edik Maloyan, a decorated Armenian military commander known for his service in Artsakh, was ordered into pretrial detention for two months on Thursday after a court approved investigators' request to keep him in custody while the case proceeds.

Defense attorney Artak Khachatryan confirmed the ruling to The Armenian Report outside the courthouse.

Outside the courthouse, veterans, relatives of fallen soldiers and supporters condemned the prosecution, arguing that one of Armenia's best-known frontline commanders was being targeted for political reasons rather than criminal conduct.

Former serviceman Armen Petrosyan said Maloyan earned widespread respect during the 2016 Four-Day War, when he helped recapture Combat Position N106 and stabilize the front line in the Martakert region of Artsakh.

"They dismiss all senior officers from service if they disagree with the ruling political force, and they remove them from their jobs. As for Maloyan's service record, I don't need to explain it. He has been well known since 2016, when he successfully recaptured Combat Position N106 and stabilized the front line in Martakert. This morning, when I read that Colonel Maloyan's house was being searched, my first thought was that we have reached the point where people can be arrested and jailed simply for having fought against Azerbaijan."

Petrosyan also recalled a 2021 confrontation during border delimitation work involving Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. According to Petrosyan, an Azerbaijani commander attempted to kick the helmet of an Armenian soldier standing in a trench, prompting Maloyan to strike the Azerbaijani officer several times.

The father of Narek Sargsyan, an Armenian soldier killed during the 2020 44-day war, said his son had served under Maloyan in the Martakert region. Speaking outside the courthouse, he accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government of prosecuting military commanders instead of those he believes bear responsibility for Armenia's wartime losses.

"My son and the other 5,000 boys were killed by Nikol Pashinyan. The man responsible for the deaths of 5,000 young men is not being put on trial, but the man who saved the country is. One hundred years from now, people will remember Edik Maloyan the way they remember Andranik Ozanian and Garegin Nzhdeh. But today, what do we see? They are putting strong men like him on trial. Where will this lead us? They arrested Maloyan to send a message to other military commanders: stay obedient. They arrested a powerful man like Edik to tell everyone else to stay in line."

Another veteran who attended the hearing said the prosecution was an insult to everyone who fought during the war.

"Go ahead and put people like us, who fought in the war, on trial too."

Maloyan's father said investigators searched the family home before taking his son into custody but found nothing.

"They came, searched the house, and took Edik with them. They found absolutely nothing in the house. My son left Karabakh in 2023 like everyone else. He didn't have a job here at first. Later, he was offered a position at the Ministry, where he worked before being transferred to the Vardenis military unit. He served there for six or seven months and then retired."

He added that the family still does not understand what alleged state secrets authorities claim Maloyan disclosed.

The detention order was issued by Judge Masis Melkonyan of the Yerevan, Avan Court. Melkonyan has presided over several high-profile cases involving opposition figures, including proceedings against Garik Galeyan, the father of 44-day war hero Mkhitar Galeyan; Archbishop Arshak; and Levon Kocharyan, the son of Armenia's second president.

Supporters outside the courthouse disputed the investigators' version of events. They told The Armenian Report they believe the case centers on Maloyan publicly announcing his departure from his military post. According to those gathered outside the court, another officer involved in the case, Roman Jomardyan, took a photo of Maloyan’s resignation letter and sent it to Maloyan, who later shared it publicly.

Maloyan is also known as a supporter of the Strong Armenia party according to Narek Karapetyan the leader of the Party.

Armenia's Investigative Committee has charged Maloyan, the former deputy commander of an Artsakh Defense Army unit, under Article 426, Part 1 of the Criminal Code for allegedly publishing information containing state secrets after unlawfully obtaining it. He also faces a charge under Article 46-427, Part 1 for allegedly inciting the publication of classified information.

Authorities allege that while serving as commander of a Defense Ministry military unit, Maloyan persuaded a secrecy regime officer, identified as R.J., to disclose classified information despite not having the required security clearance. Investigators claim Maloyan later made that information public.

A second defendant, Roman Javadyan, has been charged under Article 427, Part 1 of the Criminal Code with publishing information containing state secrets.

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.