What Happened in Kashatagh? Babayan's Office Clarifies the Notorious Brawl

In the Vakhunis community of Kashatagh, a brawl occurred this morning, June 5, between a signature collection group and the village mayor. In connection with this incident, Samvel Babayan's office has issued a clarification and called on the offices of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh and Armenia to address the rights of the people of Kashatagh.

Below is the full statement from Babayan's office:

"The fact that Kashatagh is steeped in lawlessness and impunity is not something we should say; it will be confirmed by anyone living in Kashatagh who has faced, in one way or another, the lawlessness conducted at the level of the former police chief or local party leaders that fills the already deprived lives of the people of Kashatagh with horror and despair. Here, the internal order is regulated at the level of individuals who possess money, power, and a good roof that can obscure any crime they commit. School directors, municipal leaders, village mayors, and even the police are under the control of this chaotic power.

This morning, this lawlessness reached the representatives of the initiating group collecting signatures. The incident occurred when they met with the head of the Vakhunis community, Eduard Zakaryan, in accordance with a prior verbal agreement, to resolve several legally defined issues, it should be noted that this was not of a political nature. The day before, on June 4, representatives of the initiating group contacted the village mayor to collaborate on organizational matters, but he replied that he was not in the village; however, his representative, a public servant named Samvel Hovsepyan, who worked at the village school, was present, and they could start the work. Additionally, no place was provided in the village for conducting the signature collection.

Nevertheless, Samvel Hovsepyan, along with his wife, participated in the signature collection and signed on the project. The next day, on June 5, the village mayor stated that he did not want his representative to be Hovsepyan and preferred the village secretary, Samvel Aslanyan, to be present instead. However, Aslanyan refused, while the mayor insisted. Then, the signature collection group responded by saying that the documents were already recorded, and they would continue as is. However, the mayor was perturbed by this response and angrily scolded them. After this, the group members demanded an explanation, resulting in the village leader, Eduard Zakaryan, kicking one of the members, Aramyan Aray, preparing for a second blow. In self-defense and concern for his safety, Aray simply pushed the mayor away, causing him to fall and hit his head and forehead somewhere.

Our team immediately rushed to the nearby Vardut community to report the mayor's illegal activities. On their way, they attempted to stop the Vardut police station's chief's vehicle to provide a report, but he did not stop. Following this, the deputy chief of the Kashatagh police visited the group and informed them that the mayor, Eduard Zakaryan, had reported that he had been assaulted.

Despite all these obstacles, there was a 97 percent participation rate in the signature collection in the Vakhunis community. Lacking any political leverage and relying solely on the societal hope and trust, the initiating group achieved the best results in this community. We thank all the Vakhunis residents for upholding the mission of unity between Artsakh and Armenia.

Thus, this is Kashatagh; this is how issues are resolved here. The people live in extremely difficult conditions, but the former police chief Surik Khachatryan possesses hectares of arable land. Here, the rights of Kashatagh residents are shamelessly violated – one could say that the people of Kashatagh are stripped of any rights. Here, the political authorities, represented by Artush Mkhitaryan, decide the future lives of the people of Kashatagh.

Moment of seriousness.

We call on the offices of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh and Armenia: Do you not see the numerous videos and complaints that we present from the lives of the people of Kashatagh? Are you not moved by the distorted fates resulting from such criminal and illegal actions? Come to Kashatagh and see the lifestyle of these people; take steps to improve their existence and restore their rights. Most of them are resettled from Armenia, to whom the authorities promised golden mountains but left them in poverty; these people do not even have the basic means to sustain their existence."