Former Meghri Mayor Arrested

Former Meghri Mayor Mkhitar Zakaryan has been arrested. This was reported to HJ by the spokesperson of the Investigative Committee, Vardan Tadevosyan.

Earlier, Zakaryan's lawyer, Yerem Sargsyan, informed via his Facebook page that today, around 00:00, they voluntarily presented themselves at the headquarters of the Criminal Police Department as per an agreement.

"The police pretended to be unaware of why we were there and suggested we wait while they clarified the situation. During that time, gaining a few moments, just 2-3 minutes later, two police minibuses emerged from a different entrance of the same police station, from which numerous masked and armed individuals exited. Using illegal methods and excessive force, they laid 'particularly dangerous criminal' Mkhitar Zakaryan on the ground, filmed him, and then forcibly took him inside, while also obstructing the activities of the lawyers. A report about the police's illegal actions has been submitted," the lawyer wrote.

Sargsyan also noted in his post that the grounds for Zakaryan's arrest are baseless: "The basis for the arrest is the evidently false information that, as if the employees of the Meghri police department made several visits to Mkhitar Zakaryan’s house but could not deliver the notification to appear before the investigator because the doors were closed. In reality, the police were aware that a family member was specifically waiting at home. They deliberately did not deliver or inform. I assert that the claims regarding the impossibility of delivering that notification are evidently false, and I have irrefutable evidence in this regard," the statement said.

It remains unclear in what case Zakaryan was arrested and what suspicions led to this action. It is noteworthy that the Meghri mayor resigned on July 9, and his term in office was set to expire in September.