“The police say that they did not detain me. What was it, if not to bring him into custody? Deputy Artur Khachatryan
Today, the police took Artur Khachatryan, deputy of the National Assembly “Hazdan” faction, to the Hrazdan police station from the Yerevan-Hrazdan highway. The deputy participated in the protest when the citizens blocked the highway.
In a conversation with “Hetki”, Artur Khachatryan said that he was already released. According to Khachatryan, taking him to the Police Department was not legal, as he is a member of parliament.
“They took him to Hrazdan police department using force. We went up to the third floor, then they escorted us down from the third floor, we went out, and after waiting for about an hour, we met with the head of the department. The police say at the police station that they did not detain me, but how will they explain that by using force, they entered the car against my will and brought me to the police station? What was it, if not to bring it into custody?” Khachatryan asks.
The deputy says that they will give a legal process to what happened in order to understand the grounds for bringing him into custody. Artur Khachatryan was released without any explanation.
According to him, a clash started after he spoke with someone in civilian clothes at the end of the action, who, according to the deputy, was a representative of law enforcement bodies and, according to his information, was the police chief of Kotayk region. After a tense conversation, a stampede started at the initiative of the given person, after which the MP was taken to the Police Department. “I said, ‘How do you propose that the citizens express their complaint?’, he said, ‘don’t ask me that question,’ and I said, ‘bring the person who has the answer to that question,'” says Artur Khachatryan.
Artur Khachatryan is currently at the Hrazdan police station because, according to him, two citizens’ cars were taken into custody on the charge that there is an enforcement proceeding. “Now we are trying to get the copies of those documents, that these cars are under the proceedings of the State Security Agency,” he said.
It should be noted that 17 people were arrested and transferred to different police departments today, April 26, during protests held in different parts of the Republic. The citizens were detained on suspicion of Article 182 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (Failure to comply with a legal request of the Police). “Hetkin” was informed about this by the Department of Public Communication and Information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It should be noted that citizens continue to hold protests in various parts of the Republic, in particular, the Armenia-Georgia interstate highway is closed in the Noyemberyan section, the highway remains closed in the Kirantsi section as well. Today, a protest action was also held in a number of Yerevan streets, Yerevan-Echmiadzin, Yerevan-Hrazdan highways.
Let’s remind that on April 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that on the same day, the eighth meeting of the Committee on the Demarcation of the State Border and Border Security between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Committee on the Demarcation of the State Border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia was held: Under the chairmanship of RA Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafaev.
According to that report, at the initial stage of the demarcation process, the parties have preliminarily agreed on separate sections of the border, directly Baghanis (RA) – Baghanis Ayrum (AR), Voskepar (AR) – Ashagh Askipara (AR), Kirants (AR) – Kheirumli (AR) and Berkaber. (RA) – between the settlements of Kyzyl Hajil (AR) in order to conform to the legally justified inter-republic border that existed at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After this announcement, protests started in Tavush marz and then in different parts of the Republic. Citizens’ concern is that after these areas come under the control of Azerbaijan, the border will pass near the village of Kirants and the main road.