Epress.am News from Armenia
Until society counters the authority’s acts of violence, incidents of people being subjected to violence will be continues, said Armenian National Congress (HAK) MP Aram Manukyan in front of the government building during a solidarity protest for Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) political councilor Artak Khachatryan. Khachatryan was kidnapped and brutally beaten on Saturday.
According to Manukyan, society has to pick up the thrown down gauntlet, but need to counter attack not through violence like the authorities do, but by consolidating power through civil and political forces.
BHK faction MP Naira Zohrabyan found it obvious that the attack on Artak Khachatryan had a political nature and it occurred only after he joined the Law on Turnover Tax protest movement.
Zohrabyan stressed that such incidents in reality remain undiscovered, for example, the case of MP Aram Manukyan’s attack, where after the suspect confessed, his motives were entirely uncredible.
Khachatryan’s brother Artyom Khachatryan, said that he believed his brother’s attack was connected to his participation in the “Kasetsum” (Suspend) movement, and not with his connection to the BHK. He said that today, Artak Khachatryan is already able to give a testimony to what happened. Note, that dozens of entrepreneurs were present at the protest, as well as MPs. Many of the participants held placards writing “We are all Artak.”
After half an hour in front of the government building, the demonstrators began their rally toward the police and prosecutor’s office, demanding a fair investigation and that those guilty be discovered.