After Meeting with Relatives of the Missing and Captured, Police Chief Enters Defense Ministry Building

The Chief of Police of the Republic of Armenia, Vahe Ghazaryan, met with the relatives of the missing and captured individuals near the Ministry of Defense building, where they have been protesting since April 8.

According to Armenpress, journalists were not allowed to film the conversation between the police chief and the parents. After negotiations with the parents, Ghazaryan entered the Ministry of Defense building.

Also present near the Ministry's building was Sofia Hovsepyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. Prior to the police chief's arrival, the situation near the Ministry of Defense was tense, as some relatives of the missing and captured were attempting to break down the main entrance gates. As a result of their actions, part of the gate was torn off, but the police ultimately managed to remove them from the gate and form a barrier to prevent protest participants from approaching the gates.

Since April 8, parents of missing servicemen have been conducting a protest in front of the Ministry of Defense. They have blocked the Ministry's entrances with chains, preventing agency employees from leaving the building, demanding resolutions to their issues. On the same evening, when the plane transporting Armenian prisoners of war arrived empty from Baku to Yerevan, the parents of the prisoners also joined the parents of missing servicemen gathered near the Ministry of Defense. They are calling for a meeting with the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, and the Chief of the General Staff, Artak Davtyan.

From the early morning of April 9, the relatives of Shirak captives blocked all roads leading to the region, including the Yerevan-Gyumri highway at the Horom section, as well as the roads to Jajur and Ashotzk. The servicemen had been captured from Khzthaberd in Artsakh on December 16, 2020.