Turkish Link in the Pemzashen Murders: Victims Were Slaughtered

A horrific crime took place today in the village of Pemzashen, located in the consolidated community of Artik in the Shirak region, shocking both law enforcement officials and local residents. A 31-year-old woman and her two children, aged 8 and 12, were murdered in their apartment.

Opposition human rights activist Karapet Poghosyan stated in an interview with "Hraparak" that the information is being kept confidential, but it is known that the murder was committed with particular cruelty. "According to the information I have, the mother and her children were tortured; their legs were tied with twine. It is presumed that the children's veins were cut first, and they all suffered knife wounds before being slaughtered. They were all killed with knives, and it is believed that only knives were used in the murders—no firearms were deployed," Poghosyan said.

The human rights defender, who went to Pemzashen immediately after hearing about the incident, noted that no sounds were heard by any villagers during the night, nor did they notice any suspicious movements; otherwise, they would have learned about the crime earlier. Initially, villagers became concerned when the children did not go to school and the mother did not go to work. They started calling their neighbor, but after many attempts with no answers, they called the emergency services... It was only after rescuers opened the door that the bodies of the mother and her children were discovered.

When asked whether any footage from security cameras installed in the village had revealed anything, Poghosyan stated that nothing is known in this regard—perhaps investigations are still ongoing. What is surprising is that as of now, no evidence of the crime has been found. "The police are not finding any traces, meaning that most likely the tools of the crime were taken away by the perpetrator or perpetrators. Various hypotheses have been put forward, but at this moment there is no hypothesis close to the truth, according to the police. It would be good if the police shared their hypotheses with the public; it is important to have some information on this," Poghosyan added.

A similar, albeit less brutal, case happened years ago in Gyumri with the murder of the Avetisyan family, where the victims were shot rather than slaughtered. "The authorities back then were much more moral and much more sincere with the public than the current government," Poghosyan said.

In addressing other hypotheses, the human rights defender mentioned that there are rumors circulating in Gyumri that a certain hostile diversionary group has infiltrated. "Yesterday, between four and six in the evening, unprecedented police checks were conducted in Gyumri; the entire city was under severe traffic jams with cars being stopped and checked. Of course, I can't claim that this is connected, but there are too many coincidences," he emphasized.

Poghosyan also pointed out that the crime scene is not random, as Turkish capital has shown a strong interest in the tuff quarries of Pemzashen and Tufashen, and significant investments have already been made in many of these quarries by Turks. "I suspect that the location of the crime could have been chosen to scare the local population away and facilitate free mining operations in the future. Today, this area is of business interest to them. In almost all the quarries, the Turks own stakes, and this is known to everyone," he commented.

Another hypothesis from the opposition human rights defender is that this crime was a way for the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem to mark their so-called 'victory'. "In the run-up to November 9 last year, a member of Aliyev's security detail shot a young Armenian man in Shushi. I wouldn't rule out or be surprised if yesterday's actions were a result of Turkish or Azerbaijani ceremonial activities celebrating their 'victory'. We witnessed their shameless behavior yesterday, from fireworks to gunfire in the direction of the Iranian border and Aliyev's braggadocio directed at Armenia and its current leadership. I consider these crimes a continuation of Aliyev's provocations," he concluded.