If Nikol promises a parent to hold Trdat accountable but takes him as a deputy, what else can I say? Reaction of the brother of the beaten lieutenant colonel to 168.am

The names of the newly elected members of parliament are known. The Central Electoral Commission has today composed and signed the protocol regarding the registration of MPs and the allocation of mandates. Among the mandate holders of the Civil Contract party is also the former governor of Vayots Dzor, Trdat Sargsyan.

The reaction of Karen Mkrtchyan, the brother of the deputy colonel Ara Mkrtchyan, who has been in a coma for nearly two years following a controversial incident in Vayots Dzor on the night of September 17, 2019, is fueled by the authorities’ attitude.

“It was already clear, what can I say? This is their politics. If this is our leadership, then the situation in the country should also be like this, it’s clear. If one official, that is Nikol (for me, he is already Nikol, not the prime minister), promises a parent that he will hold Trdat accountable, but now he is taking him as a deputy, what else can I say about that man,” he told 168.am.

Karen Mkrtchyan sadly noted that his brother's health condition remains unchanged: “There is no change; the trial is ongoing, but people want everyone to be released from responsibility.”

Recall that on the night of September 17, 2019, a brawl occurred in Vayots Dzor, resulting in Lieutenant Colonel Ara Mkrtchyan being in a coma for nearly two years. Former assistant to the former governor of Vayots Dzor, Harutyun Grigoryan, and his brother, Zaven Grigoryan, have been involved as defendants in the criminal case. Officers present at the incident testified that the former governor of Vayots Dzor, Trdat Sargsyan, was also present and demonstrated inaction; they insisted on their testimonies during confrontational interrogations. However, the investigative committee stated that the former governor did not witness the altercation on September 17, 2019, and was not at the scene. Despite this, Trdat Sargsyan resigned from the governor’s post a week after the incident. In July 2020, Trdat Sargsyan was appointed as the head of the staff of the Civil Contract party.