Hovik Aghazaryan Responds to Taron Tonoyan’s Statement

Hovik Aghazaryan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly from the "My Step" faction, has responded on his Facebook page to the accusations made by military doctor Taron Tonoyan, claiming that during the war he smuggled the brother of an employee from the Ararat regional administration out of Artsakh and brought him to Armenia.

“Today, Taron Tonoyan declared in Freedom Square that I had smuggled the brother of an Ararat regional administration employee from the front lines. I rarely respond to various statements directed at me, but this is a case where, considering my deep respect for Taron Tonoyan’s past path, I cannot remain silent. Yes, on October 2, I was in Hadrut, specifically at the hospital, to deliver medical supplies collected by organization X to him. The remaining food and medicine were supposed to be taken to another address. During my time at the hospital, the individual he mentioned, whom I was meeting for the first time, recognized me, contacted one of the residents of the Ararat region, who called me asking for help with health issues. According to him, he had a stomach ulcer that had ruptured. Noticing this individual’s severe psychological situation, I decided to take him to the hospital in Stepanakert. On the way, he asked me not to take him to Stepanakert but to Berdzor, and already in Berdzor, unexpectedly, he expressed that he wanted to return to Armenia to consult with his treating doctors. I asked to see his medical referral and military ID, and it turned out that both were missing. At that moment, I told him that he was on the path to desertion, I let him out of the car and urged him to report to the military authorities. I now officially declare that this individual did not cross the checkpoint with my assistance, and I promise to follow up on the developments related to this case,” he wrote.

It is worth noting that Taron Tonoyan shared these remarks during a rally in Freedom Square today, demanding Prime Minister Pashinyan's resignation. He recounted that on October 2, he met Hovik Aghazaryan in Artsakh. “Then, a suspicious, plump guy, the brother worked at the Ararat regional administration, in the end smuggled the cowardly dog deserter here to Yerevan. I speak with facts, let them call me, I will respond. A few days ago, this coward stood here in front of the government with a few other vagabonds defending Nikol Pashinyan,” he had said.