Threats From Shengavit's Mayor and Deputy After Incident with Employee

Following the initiation of a criminal case regarding an incident that occurred on June 15 at the Shengavit municipality, the district's head, Razmik Mkrtchyan, and his deputy, Hamlet Grigoryan, have resumed applying pressure on Gevorg Poghosyan, the employee who reported the event. This was stated to NEWS.am by Poghosyan, who claims he was allegedly subjected to violence by the mayor, his deputy, and an assistant.

After the incident, NEWS.am posed several questions to Poghosyan regarding the atmosphere at the municipality and the pressures he is facing. When asked if he had already been questioned in connection with the incident and what he told the authorities, Poghosyan replied, “Yes, I have been questioned and I asserted my testimony, describing the event as it occurred. There has been no confrontation with the mayor, his deputy, or the assistant. They are all claiming, 'We didn’t even touch him; he probably fell and hurt himself.' Naturally, that’s how they would present it since the hammer and the stick are in their hands.”

When asked if they attempted to encourage him to withdraw his complaint or soften his testimony, he stated, “What encouragement? The deputy threatened me, saying, 'Look, let’s not turn this around on you.' That’s the level of it. I won’t back down. If people are brazenly denying what was done to me, claiming I’m spreading falsehoods, why should I step back?” He noted that there was also an incident where intermediaries tried to reconcile, but he rejected the offer.

Regarding his work environment after the incident, Poghosyan admitted, “Of course, it’s difficult, which is why I took a leave of absence. As of tomorrow, I will be absent from work for a while until things cool down. I’m a computer technology operator and handle the technical operations, maintaining the computer network. After the incident, they took me and sat me in front of the secretary, and without any shame, they are trying to assign me the role of a secretary. They said, 'Do paperwork, type texts on the computer, make calculations in Excel,' whereas those tasks are not part of my job description. They can't just as easily ask a secretary to maintain the computer network.”

Poghosyan mentioned he requested documentation regarding his job responsibilities, which he did not receive. He expressed feelings of insecurity saying, “No, after approaching the authorities, the pressure on me has increased. They even intentionally damaged one of the municipality's computers to justify that I didn’t fix it properly, hoping to reprimand me, but I rectified the fault.”

The incident attracted significant public attention. When asked if anyone from the city hall or any other institution had reached out to clarify the situation or to ensure his rights were protected, he stated, “The municipality has a supervisory service that would quickly respond to signs of corruption, but after such a serious incident, they didn’t even call to inquire. Furthermore, I am considered a supporter of the Civil Contract party. I approached the deputy elected from Shengavit, Gevorg Papoyan, but he told me that legal processes are ongoing, and they cannot intervene. While I agree that they shouldn’t interfere, couldn’t they at least listen to a citizen’s complaint and see what I’m saying? They could have called and heard me out, but instead, nothing happened. I am very hurt and disappointed.” He added that he had participated in the “Yes” campaign, distributing flyers, and it seems he’s now being repaid for that involvement. “Isn’t there a smart person among the Civil Contract members who could say, 'Let’s listen to this guy; maybe he’s saying something right?' At present, only a group that focuses on labor rights has offered support.”

Regarding his expectations from the law enforcement system, Poghosyan stated, “I expect justice to be served and that those responsible face criminal accountability.”

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