This Incident Is Not Suitable for Our City, Says Samvel Balasanyan on the Death of a 42-Year-Old Woman

The mayor of Gyumri, Samvel Balasanyan, who organized the burial of 42-year-old Marine, killed by her 28-year-old friend in the Textiles neighborhood, addressed reporters today at the "Shirak" cemetery.

"Gyumri is a city with traditions, especially related to family. To be honest, this incident seems to be unsuitable for our city. For example, the case of the Avetisyan family was understandable, as there was a soldier involved, or the second incident concerning the murder of our cleaner... But this case has shocked the city. We must condemn violence, and today a law is being passed in the National Assembly that will condemn violence; no one has the right to commit violence. Seeing our past, our families, we understand that this traditionalism is an important factor, and everything should remain within those boundaries and should not go beyond them. As mayor, I condemn such incidents,” said the mayor, according to Aravot.am.

When asked why none of the relatives attended the burial, Samvel Balasanyan replied, "It is surprising to me as well, because they have quite a few relatives. Perhaps they avoided participating due to the bounds of traditionalism related to the incident. Of course, we did what we should have according to tradition, which was our obligation. To be honest, I cannot answer why they did not participate; perhaps it is in accordance with traditional views that are very important in our city of Gyumri.”