Charges Filed Against 3 Individuals in Gundevaz Vandalism Incident

The investigative department of the Vayots Dzor regional branch of the RA Investigative Committee has completed the preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated concerning a vandalism incident that took place in the village of Gundevaz.

Charges have been filed against three individuals. This information has been reported by the public relations department of the RA Investigative Committee.

According to the data obtained during the investigation, on August 24, 2019, around 10:30 PM, a group of individuals protested against the operation of the Amulsar gold mine by “Lidian Armenia” LLC in the central part of Gundevaz, vocally chanting “Amulsar is ours, Amulsar will not become a mine.”

A 57-year-old man nearby made a remark, requesting that they stop shouting at night and disturbing the peace of others. Following this, a 24-year-old resident of Jermuk city, taking the remark poorly, attacked the man, knocking him down. Then, driven by their sense of superiority and motivated by vandalism, residents from Jermuk, born in 1993 and 1997, inflicted multiple kicks on him.

Hearing the commotion, the 57-year-old man’s brother approached them in an attempt to calm the situation, during which he fell and sustained an injury to the right side of his head.

Based on sufficient evidence collected, the three young men have been charged under the first part of Article 258, part 3 of the RA Criminal Code. They have been subjected to detention as a preventive measure.

The preliminary investigation has been completed, and the criminal case has been forwarded to the prosecutor for oversight of the legality of the preliminary investigation.