"I Never Even Took the Hammer Out of the Bag": Citizen Claims Members of the "Liberation Movement" Are Lying

A citizen named Abgar Balbabyan has contacted the Auroranews editorial team, claiming he has been accused of attacking members of the "Liberation Movement" with a hammer.

It was reported by journalist and one of the initiators of the "Liberation Movement," Nairi Hohikyan, who informed on his Facebook page that on March 15, an unknown man attacked some members of the "Liberation Movement" in Northern Avenue, Yerevan, who were collecting signatures for the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan.

"The police officers on duty responded quickly and isolated the perpetrator. Moreover, the perpetrator had a hammer with him," Hohikyan added.

Abgar Balbabyan told Auroranews that the claims of him attacking anyone with a hammer are not true. In an interview, the citizen stated that on Saturday, March 12, he commented on a post made by human rights defender and the head of the "Liberation Movement," Vahagn Chakhalyan, on Facebook.

On the same day, Chakhalyan requested a meeting with him, which led to a scuffle. When asked if his comment contained any insults or curses, he replied that it did not; he simply expressed his disagreement and stated his viewpoint, which was significantly different from Chakhalyan’s perspective.

"On Tuesday, while returning home from work, I accidentally saw Chakhalyan in Northern Avenue. I approached him, and a scuffle occurred. I had my work tools in a bag, including that hammer, which has become so famous. The information that I attacked anyone with a hammer is completely unrelated to reality. The hammer was with my other work tools, but I never even took it out of the bag," he recounted, emphasizing that he works in construction and frequently has such tools with him.

According to the citizen, the incident had nothing to do with the signature gathering. Notably, he had a bruise under his eye, which he explained was the result of the argument that took place on Saturday.

Currently, the police are investigating the details of the incident.