Armen Martirosyan: There is a group of masked people in Armenia who do whatever they want (video)
No matter how hard the authorities try to stay away from the latest developments in the country, they cannot, Deputy Chairman of the opposition Heritage party Armen Martirosyan said on Feb 11. He says the kidnapping and beating of Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) member Artak Khachatryan was not the first incident, but the continuation of incidents and violence against political and public figures and activists. “Though my colleague Eduard Sharmazanov [from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia -HAK] urged to avoid making emotional, surreal, demagogue statements today we are dealing with an undeniable fact,” said Mr Martirosyan. Then he reminded the attacks on a group of Karabakh war veterans and opposition lawmaker Aram Manukyan when again the perpetrators remained unpunished. “This is not the first time when masked people attacked and beat a citizen. There is a group of masked people in Armenia who, without any obstacles, do whatever they want. I regret to say that the authorities are involved in the attacks and the impunity in previous cases testifies to this,” said Mr Martirosyan. He also expressed hope that early elections will be held in Armenia after the upcoming meeting of the three opposition leaders. Artak Khachatryan was attacked at around 12, February 9, in the neighbourhood of an entertainment centre in Yerevan. Three armed men wearing masks forced Khachatryan into a car and drove away with him. Later, Khachatryan was found unconscious, near his home. A criminal case has been filed in connection with the incident. An investigation is underway.
