On October 17, they will appoint one of their puppets as the mayor of Goris, and only then let Arush Arushanyan go, Hoghikyan

Siyunik is one of the few regions where there is a political opposition. The mayors are against the authorities and other officials. This was stated today, on September 2, during a meeting with journalists by Naïri Hoghikyan, a member of the public initiative supporting Arush Arushanyan and a media expert.

He noted that after the arrest of Arush Arushanyan and other community heads in Siyunik about a month ago, a decision was made that local government elections would be held on October 17, including in the city of Goris. “I believe that the isolation of Arush and the isolation of Menua (Vice Mayor of Goris Menua Hovsepyan - ed.) are targeted specifically so that Arush cannot participate in the electoral campaign, cannot run for candidacy, and if he does, cannot gather the necessary votes. Only after October 17 will Arush Arushanyan be released. This is a political vendetta to ensure that the current political authority in Siyunik, the ruling party, takes control of political posts,” he said.

Naïri Hoghikyan added that by depriving the community heads of Siyunik of their freedom, they tried to bring them to their knees but failed. “Now on October 17, there will be an election, and they will appoint one of their puppets as the head of Goris, thus considering the issue resolved,” he emphasized.

It is noteworthy that the head of Goris municipality has been charged under Article 35-154.2, Part 4, Point 2, Article 38-149, Part 2, Point 4, and Article 38-154.2, Part 3 of the RA Criminal Code. According to the statement from the National Security Service, the head of Goris community, A.A., who occupies the 32nd place on the electoral list of the “Armenia” alliance, preparing to secure the highest number of votes for the mentioned alliance and register a desirable result in the elections, has prepared for serious crimes, namely, bribing two or more voters.