Epress.am News from Armenia
On Saturday, February 7, masked men kidnapped Artak Khachatryan from Tolstoy St. near Tashir mall and beat him up. He was later found in an unconscious state in Nor Nork’s 8th district.
Khachatryan was heavily involved in the recent protests against the Law on Turnover Tax and is a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party’s (BHK) political council.
The activist's brother, Artyom Khachatryan, told iLur.am that Artak was kidnapped by 3 masked men with machine guns. He was found in Nor Nork with serious injuries and had difficulty speaking and was later sent to the Malatia Hospital.
“I spoke to him last night and there was nothing to be nervous about, no suspicious talk, no one had called or threatened him. Artak has no connection to the criminal world; they kidnapped him in broad daylight on a street in Kentron (downtown). I’m assuming that this was part of a plan by a special service,” said Khachatryan.
Certain political parties and political figures have condemned the incident. The BHK’s political council considered the incident as an impudent and cynical challenge directed toward the political forces and society.
“It is clear hat the entire responsibility of the incident falls on the country’s political authorities. The main culprit of the gangster environment and impunity created in the country is the country’s elite political power, who are also responsible for all this. We promptly demand that law enforcement bodies discover in the shortest time possible the culprits in this incident and all past ordered criminal activities on political, civil officials and on activists. Let no one think that the violence implemented against Artak Khachatryan and on others is going to be left unpunished. Those who carried it out will be punished, as well as those who ordered it. If law enforcement does not (punish them), then the people will do it,” stated BHK’s political council.
Armenian National Congress Party (HAK) considers Artak Khachatryan’s kidnapping and the brutal violence against him was no coincidence, stressing that there is a link to a chain of insidious terrorist actions unleashed against the opposition by the authorities.
“These types of actions by the authorities only call for an adequate answer by the people and political forces to collectively revolt for a speedy regime change, to restore the constitution, to establish legitimate authorities, and secure the supremacy of rights and the law,” said the HAK’s statement.
The Free Democrat Party also condemned the violence against Artak Khachatryan noting that Armenian citizens are not protected in their own country and their constitutional rights are being openly violated.
"The nondisclosure of these incidents creates a vicious atmosphere of impunity and becomes the cause of their recurrence,” said the party’s statement.
HAK faction MP Nikol Pashinyan noted on his personal Facebook page that if the ruling authorities do not quickly and convincingly discover the monstrous attack on Artak Khachatryan, than the attack on Vilen Gabrielyan (Navak Jojogh) and other violent incidents would mean that any Armenian citizen could claim that those entities which are supposed to prevent and reveal such incidents are responsible for organizing and implementing them.
“If these incidents and their nondisclosure are not followed by resignations of high level officials responsible for law enforcement, then any Armenian citizen has the right to claim that violence is organized by Serzh Sargsyan’s permission and approval, and maybe at times directly addressed commands,” stressed Pashinyan.
According to Artyom Khachatryan, as of Saturday, “A group of investigators came from the Kentron police department, now the head of the criminal investigation unit has taken over the investigation.”