Zartonq Residents Demand Release of Former Village Mayor's Grandson: Protest Held

Residents of Zartonq community, along with former village mayor Paruyr Sargsyan, are staging a protest in front of the Armavir regional court. They demand the release of Paruyr Sargsyan's grandson. The protesters have displayed banners reading 'Freedom to Narek Melkonyan'.

It is worth noting that on April 13, a confrontation occurred between those demanding the resignation of the mayor and his supporters, which was accompanied by gunfire.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 258, Part 4 of the RA Criminal Code, specifically for hooliganism resulting in moderate bodily harm to a person. Following urgent investigative actions, several circumstances of the armed incident have been clarified. Two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of hooliganism, one of whom is the former mayor's grandson.

One resident stated, 'We have seen nothing wrong from our history teacher, Narek Melkonyan. He is not guilty; imagine if your family were attacked, what would you do?'

The principal of Zartonq village school, Horomsim Sargsyan, who is the former mayor's sister, had previously claimed that the student council rallied to defend her son, asserting she has no connection to the events. A significant number of children were present among the protesters today.

Supporters of Paruyr Sargsyan argue that the protesting villagers stormed his daughter’s home, and the incident arose as a result.

On the other hand, the protesting Zartonq residents claim that the mayor's grandson fired shots in the village and injured a fellow villager, therefore he should be punished.