Incidents of Pressuring Political Figures are Politically Motivated, Says MP

Heritage faction MP Alexander Arzumanyan qualified the attacks on HAK faction secretary Aram Manukyan and veterans Razmik Petrosyan, Manvel Yeghiazaryan and Suren Sargsyan as lawlessness. Today, he spoke to journalists at the National Assembly and said that he believes along with everyone else that the latter incidents are connected.

“We demand that the police do everything to disclose the incidents in order to rid our suspicions. The Deputy Police Chief is there to defend the law and not to make threats. It is an unacceptable and irresponsible statement,” said Arzumanyan commenting on Deputy Police Chief Levon Yeranosyan’s statements about the beaten veterans.

When asked if he would wish for a bodyguard, the MP responded saying that he was born and raised in Yerevan and does not need a bodyguard.

When asked if Arzumanyan believed the attack on Manukyan was connected to him cursing Serzh Sargsyan, he responded “I don’t want to believe that Armenia can have a president who gives orders to punish the opposition.”

Arzumanyan was asked if he thought the attacks had a political subtext. He responded saying that “even if the blood pressure of a political figure rises, it has a political subtext.”

Note, that today HAK faction MP Nikol Pashinyan suggested to release a statement condemning the attack on the MP during Foreign Relations Standing Committee meeting. The statement, however, was not accepted; Republican Party faction member Samvel Farmanyan suggested to discuss the issue on Monday because other committees might want to join in the statement.

Pashinyan noted, while speaking to journalist, that he has no doubt that the recent political attacks were ordered by Serzh Sargsyan. According to the MP, the authorities have all the avenues to disclose the incidents and the fact that they do not use them testifies that the attacks were implemented by a high level order.

Recall that the attack on MP Aram Manukyan on the evening of December 11 resulted in him being diagnosed with a fracture and a concussion.