Shooting Targeted at Martakert Mayor's Son, Supporters of Samvel Babayan State

According to the "Jhoghovurd" newspaper, supporters of former Artsakh Defense Army Commander Samvel Babayan issued a statement claiming that on the night of May 29, shots were fired at the vehicle of their followers while on the Sevan-Martuni highway, and the shooters were close associates of former Artsakh Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan, who were later arrested.

While an investigation is underway regarding the incident, further details have emerged for "Jhoghovurd". One day prior to the incident, the son of Martakert Mayor Misha Gyurjyan arrived in Armenia using the same vehicle, but he got off during the journey, while the car proceeded to Yerevan and returned to Artsakh the following day. There are suspicions that the shots fired during the journey were actually aimed at the Mayor's son, even though he was not in the vehicle.

According to reports circulating in Artsakh, a dispute between these two teams had occurred as early as January, resulting in gunfire, and legal proceedings are still ongoing. It is possible that the shooting on the Sevan-Martuni road is a consequence of that earlier conflict. We reached out to Martakert Mayor Misha Gyurjyan for comments, but he indicated that he could not provide any information.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.