Berd Community Chief Refuses to Compromise; Serious Unrest Possible Soon

The "Past" newspaper reports: "As is known, Berd community leader Harutyun Manucharyan has been charged, and a motion has been submitted to the court to apply detention as a measure of restraint against him. The court granted the motion.

Several notable details about this case have emerged, according to information obtained by "Past". In particular, we have learned that the authorities have repeatedly suggested via the former Tavush governor, currently a member of the National Assembly from the 'My Step' faction, Vahe Galumyan, that Manucharyan resign in order to enable them to appoint their preferred candidate in Berd as part of local government 'takeover' activities. However, Harutyun Manucharyan has refused, after which a criminal case was initiated against him, and a decision was also made recently to detain him.

Our sources indicate that the authorities are now directly offering Manucharyan to resign, promising that in this case, not only would the detention decision be overturned, but the criminal case would also be dropped. According to our information, Manucharyan has again refused, stating that, on one hand, he will not engage in negotiations, and on the other hand, he considers the criminal case against him to be entirely baseless and he does not accept the charges.

Reliable sources from the "Past" newspaper claim that these events have caused significant discontent not only among the members of the Berd council but also within the local population, and it is possible that serious unrest and protests may begin in Berd soon."

For more details, refer to today's issue of the newspaper.