Fight Over Mine or Land: Why Armed Individuals Fired in Otevan Community

On December 25-26 night, reports emerged in the media stating that residents of the predominantly Yezidi village of Otevan (Bayziz) in the Aragatsotn Province were terrified after unknown individuals fired shots at a community-owned cabin. It has been reported that those responsible for the gunfire are connected to Rustam Bakoyan, a member of parliament from the ruling party. Two main theories are circulating regarding this incident: one concerns the potential opening of a mine in the village, while the other revolves around a land dispute.

To investigate further, Auroranews.am reached out to local residents Suto Shamoyan and Bro Fatoyan, who are also participants in a pasture competition scheduled for December 26. They recounted that the village was in a state of terror on that day.

“After midnight, we heard gunshots. It wasn't just one or two; I can tell you there were more than ten shots fired. We went out, but no one was around anymore. The shooting targeted not only the community-owned cabin but also the streetlights around, causing a power outage in the area,” said Suto Shamoyan. He sees a motive behind the incident, stating, “This kind of thing has never happened in the village; they want to intimidate the community leader into canceling the land competition. There is land available for which a competition has been announced; I applied for it to build a barn. The shots were fired the night before the competition, and the competition got canceled.”

Bro Fatoyan, another local applying for the competition, confirmed, “The gunfire occurred on the night of December 25-26, and the land competition was set for that very day.”

Previously, reports had circulated that the gunfire was initiated by associates of Rustam Bakoyan, who allegedly want to exploit a mine in the village. When asked about this, Fatoyan confidently responded, “Discussions about the mine have been around since spring, which the villagers have opposed several times. The gunfire is not related to the mine; it was about the pasture competition.” When asked about the connection between would-be mine exploiters and Bakoyan, he said, “There is a significant connection. I don't know if they're relatives or close friends, but there are witnesses who can confirm that Rustam Bakoyan called Tovmas Martirosyan and told him to go protest the land competition.” Fatoyan explained that Tovmas, along with several others, went to the province administration to protest against the competition being held.

Auroranews.am also contacted Otevan’s community leader, Mraz Miroyan. The mayor stated that residents reported the gunfire to him: “I went to the scene at night, and law enforcement officials came and documented the incident. The shots were fired from an automatic weapon.” He added that an investigation is ongoing, and there are no details available yet. When asked about possible motives, the mayor replied, “I have not had conflicts with anyone. Nothing illegal is happening, and I don't understand the motive behind this wrong act.”

During the interview with Auroranews, the mayor also discussed the land competition: “The competition was canceled because I was at the police station concerning the incident that occurred at night. He also noted that on the same day (December 26), he received a call from the province administration stating that the competition could not take place due to an issue regarding the announcement posted in the 'Azdarar' newspaper.” Miroyan remarked that the competition will indeed be held, however.

It is notable that Mayor Mraz Miroyan confirmed the name of Tovmas Martirosyan, mentioned by Bro Fatoyan, as having shown interest in the land competition: “Tovmas Martirosyan applied about the land; I told him it’s an open competition and invited him to apply.” When asked about Tovmas' connection to Rustam Bakoyan, he stated that he has no information.

Auroranews.am attempted to contact Rustam Bakoyan to clarify his involvement in the incident in Otevan and whether he knows Tovmas Martirosyan. However, Bakoyan did not respond to our calls. In a statement to one of the media outlets, Bakoyan claimed to be unaware of the issue and hearing about it for the first time.

Why did the province administration cancel the competition, and was a complaint received? Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the gunfire, the competition was to be canceled because the province administration had called the community leader stating there was a violation of the law. Previously, Fatoyan had noted that Tovmas Martirosyan had submitted a written complaint regarding land competition to the Aragatsotn provincial administration.

In response to a query from Auroranews.am, the Aragatsotn province administration stated that the competition was canceled due to a violation of the law. According to the law, competitions must be announced in the 'Azdarar' newspaper at least one month in advance. Nane Avanesyan, head of the province administration’s information and public relations department, indicated that the announcement was sent on time but appeared in the 'Azdarar' newspaper three days late. This was the basis for postponing the land competition scheduled for December 26.

Regarding the complaints, Avanesyan confirmed, “There has been a complaint from 13 citizens. The citizens stated as justification that the land competition was organized without public hearings. The province administration reviewed the petition-complaint; however, the residents' complaints were unfounded because the law does not require mandatory public hearings in this case.” When asked if the names of Tovmas Martirosyan and/or Rustam Bakoyan were included among the complainants, she replied that Tovmas's name was present, while Bakoyan's was not.

What does the law enforcement say? The police confirmed that they received a report regarding the shots fired in Otevan, and the materials have been prepared and sent to the investigative service. The Investigative Committee announced that a criminal case has been initiated regarding illegal circulation of firearms, their main components, military ammunition, and other materials, objects, and hooliganism. It was also noted that, so far, there have been no detainees in relation to the case.

Auroranews.am has obtained images showing the cabin used by the community administration that was damaged from the gunfire, as well as some of the bullets fired.