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Nonpartisan MP Taguhi Tovmasyan says she has been targeted by Taron Chakhoyan, the deputy chief of the Armenian prime minister's staff, following her statement warning of violations of MP Hovik Aghazaryan’s personal data. She issued the following statement on Thursday:

"Recently, I had shared information about appealing to my international colleagues regarding the inadmissibility of disseminating the contents of MP Hovik Aghazaryan’s phone. Now, I find myself targeted by the Government.

In my appeal, I referred to both domestic legislation and international legal norms that strictly prohibit the publication of an individual’s private correspondence. I emphasized that this action was taken by the authorities and expected corresponding measures to be taken.

Specifically, I pointed out in my letter that websites affiliated with Deputy Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Taron Chakhoyan, had published targeted articles about MP Aghazaryan’s sexual orientation.

As a result of my political activities and following these letters, I have become the target of Taron Chakhoyan. Not only has he disseminated offensive and unfounded accusations against me on his social media pages, but also on websites affiliated with him. Furthermore, he has fabricated and published an utterly FALSE story claiming that years ago, I had allegedly recorded an illegal audio of a meeting involving Nikol Pashinyan and handed it over to Serzh Sargsyan.

However, since:

• I have never participated in any such meeting and therefore could not have made any illegal recording (besides, it is not in my nature to secretly record anyone).

• From 2019 onwards, I deliberately avoided attending “My Step” (“Civil Contract”) faction meetings for two consecutive years to avoid any accusations of leaks.

Therefore, today I have officially appealed to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan, DEMANDING the initiation of proceedings to investigate and establish:

1. Who recorded the mentioned audio, under what circumstances, and when was it handed over to Serzh Sargsyan?

2. Who participated in the said meeting and how was this recording transmitted?

3. To interrogate Taron Chakhoyan, demanding evidence to substantiate his claims, and in the absence of proof, to hold him accountable for DEFAMATION.

I will continue to monitor this process and, as always, will publicly share updates and outcomes. Neither Nikol Pashinyan nor his fake or fakes can attribute to me actions that I DID NOT DO.

Let law enforcement find out the truth: no mouse, no fish, and no other slimy creature will be spared."