Father of ‘Gay Parade’ Organizer Testifies Against Menua Hovsepyan and Hakob Arshakyan in Case of Egg Attack on Pashinyan's Vehicle

On the day of Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Goris, a confrontation took place yesterday between Menua Hovsepyan, the arrested deputy mayor of Goris, and a resident of Shurnukh who testified against him. This was reported by Menua Hovsepyan's lawyer, Edgar Aramyan, in a conversation with Tert.am.

“Gavrosha Hakobyan claims he saw how Menua organized hooliganism. You may remember that a few years ago an incident occurred when a group of individuals with non-traditional sexual orientations wanted to hold a ‘gay parade’; Gavrosha Hakobyan is the father of one of the organizers and has hostile relations with Shurnukh's village head, Hakob Arshakyan, which, as it turned out, also extends to Menua. We believe that based on their hostile relations, he provided testimony that Menua and Hakob organized the egg attack on Pashinyan's vehicle,” he stated.

According to Edgar Aramyan, Gavrosha Hakobyan and his family members had previously filed a number of complaints against Shurnukh village head Hakob Arshakyan, which had been investigated and rejected over time; they had allegedly accused him of committing a crime, but these were dismissed during the preparation of the materials. Now he has decided to testify in this case. The defense attorney noted that there was supposed to be a confrontation between Hakob Arshakyan and the Shurnukh resident, but it has not yet occurred. Hakob Arshakyan stated that Gavrosha Hakobyan maintains a hostile attitude towards him.

“Hakob Arshakyan said that years ago they had wanted to hold a ‘gay parade’ in Shurnukh, and he made a public statement against it. After that, Gavrosha Hakobyan accused Hakob Arshakyan of obstructing the holding of the ‘gay parade’, and since then, animosity has been maintained towards Hakob Arshakyan. Furthermore, that individual has been involved in water theft in the village for years,” he added.

The lawyer also detailed the alleged actions for which Menua Hovsepyan is being charged. “It's claimed that he instructed people to bring eggs from either shops or from certain individuals' homes and organized for people to consume alcoholic beverages, among other absurdities. Of course, Menua Hovsepyan does not accept the charges,” he mentioned.

The lawyer stated it is evident that this case is politically motivated. “That same Gavrosha Hakobyan met the Prime Minister in Shurnukh and accompanied him along with others, including Khachatur Sukiasyan, who, according to the testimonies of Hakob Arshakyan and Menua Hovsepyan, distributed money, giving Gavrosha Hakobyan 500 thousand drams,” he said.

It is worth noting that indictments have been filed against 12 residents of Goris for attacking Nikol Pashinyan's vehicle with eggs on the day of his visit. According to an expert conclusion regarding the incident of egg striking on Pashinyan's armored vehicle, damages amounting to 24 million drams were inflicted.