Girls Deny Assaulting Mother of Artsakh Hero; Principal Provides Details

Elena and Jemma have never stood out for bad behavior and have not received written reprimands. Today was the first time they were in my office. We are all surprised by the incident, but the girls deny it. This was stated in a conversation with Lurer.com by Margarita Kushkyan, the principal of Yerevan's Artem Mikoyan High School No. 166, in response to reports circulating online that the aforementioned schoolgirls allegedly attacked Lida Arushanyan, mother of Artsakh hero Davit Arushanyan, with a knife.

When asked whether teachers had ever noticed a knife or any cold weapon with the girls, the principal assured that nothing of the sort has happened. 'The deputy principal and class teachers regularly check all students' backpacks for behavior issues, and I assure you that no cold weapons or knives have been discovered with any of the students. There has never been an incident involving them; they are quiet and modest girls,' she said. 'In the morning, when we received a call from the police, we summoned the girls' parents, who were just as surprised as we were.'

When asked whether there have been instances where the girls responded to teachers or got into verbal disputes, the principal stated, 'The class teachers could not recall any such incidents in their behavior or speech, but I cannot say how they would act outside.'

The principal also mentioned that one of the girls, Elena, was ill and did not attend school today. 'She has a flu-like condition and did not come to class today, but her parent brought her to school anyway. Elena said she did not go outside, and the police will clarify the rest,' Margarita Kushkyan added.

When asked whether the school has students who were forcibly displaced from Artsakh, and if they've ever noticed special mistreatment towards those students by Elena and Jemma, Mrs. Margarita ruled that out. 'We are one of the schools that accepted 115 children from Artsakh after the 44-day war, and we have treated everyone very well. We have done everything we could; we have not noticed any special treatment towards those children from Elena and Jemma,' she emphasized.

Addressing the part of the information alleging that one of the girls threatened Lida with her father, who, according to the girl, has considerable authority, the principal said that both of them come from ordinary families. 'They simply made boastful statements,' concluded Mrs. Kushkyan.