Searches Conducted in Homes of Participants Involved in Goris Incident

Based on decisions from the Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan, searches were conducted on July 20 in the homes of participants involved in a brawl that occurred recently in Goris between current Syunik Governor Melikset Poghosyan's son and former Governor Surik Khachatryan's son. During the dispute, shots were fired.

According to the criminal case, on July 13 at approximately 11:00 PM, a brawl occurred at the intersection of Getapnya and G. Nzhdeh streets in the Goris community, involving 33-year-old Karen Poghosyan, the son of the current governor, and 27-year-old Tigran Khachatryan, the son of former governor Surik Khachatryan, along with their respective friends.

During the ensuing fight, Karen Poghosyan took a firearm from his vehicle, a Toyota Camry, and recklessly fired it in a manner dangerous to many lives, resulting in gunshot wounds to Harout Vardanyan and Melik Barseghyan. During the search conducted at Karen Poghosyan's residence and associated buildings, various calibers of ammunition were discovered.

On the same day, a search was also conducted at the “Zangezur” restaurant-hotel complex in Goris, owned by the Poghosyan family, where a 9mm cartridge of a “Makarov” type pistol was found. Further searches at the home of Norayr Mnatsakanyan resulted in the discovery of a 7.62mm cartridge hidden in a military jacket’s pocket in the basement.

According to Lusine Barseghyan, a participant in the searches, the cartridge likely belonged to her husband, Norayr Mnatsakanyan, who took part in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Arsen Aghajanyan’s properties were also searched, revealing 142 cartridges of various calibers, several gas grenade cartridges, military helmets, body armor, and a range of military supplies including tents and sleeping bags.

Furthermore, during a search of a BMW vehicle belonging to A. Aghajanyan, officers found a single cigarette can containing a greenish substance resembling a narcotic, weighing 0.49 grams.

A criminal case was initiated on July 14 by the Investigative Committee’s Main Department for Especially Important Cases, pursuant to Articles 34-104 (attempted murder), 258(4) (hooliganism resulting in moderate injury to a person's health), and 235(1) (illegal acquisition, possession, or transportation of firearms and ammunition).