Will Government Deputies Have Weapons? "Zhoghavorod"

Many members of the ruling faction in parliament continue to avoid going out on the streets following the chaos that occurred on the night of November 9 to 10. This is particularly true after a group of young people began to visit the yards of government deputies' homes to call them "traitors" and shame them. Many lawmakers have gone into hiding as a result of this situation.

Some are afraid of being disgraced, while others fear that they will be attacked and harmed. According to the daily newspaper, a proposal has been made by the head of the Government Staff, Eduard Aghajanyan, to help MPs overcome their fears. During one of the closed meetings of the faction, he announced that weapons would soon be distributed to deputies to ensure their unhindered movement.

The government is currently engaged in collecting weapons to distribute to the ruling deputies; changing the law on this issue is merely a technical matter. It remains unclear how the Armenian government will justify the proposal to distribute weapons only to representatives of the ruling party if it concerns arming MPs.

It is known that there are 132 deputies in the National Assembly from the "Prosperous Armenia," "Enlightened Armenia," and "My Step" factions, as well as 8 independent deputies. The "Zhoghavorod" newspaper interviewed MP Hovik Aghazaryan from the "My Step" faction regarding this situation. Aghazaryan stated he is unaware of such developments, perhaps there was a meeting he did not attend, but he also indicated that arming deputies is unacceptable for him: "No, I do not share that viewpoint." Moreover, the MP announced that he sees no danger, travels by public transport, and has no issues.

Another MP, Hratchya Hakobyan from the "My Step" faction, told us he is also unaware of such matters and might have missed that meeting. It should be noted that recently judges were granted the right to carry weapons, and it was revealed yesterday that soon employees of the State Revenue Committee involved in operational activities and several others will also have the opportunity to carry weapons. This draft was presented to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defense, National Security, and Internal Affairs.