VIDEO: Conversation About Dialect Leads to Murder

On August 5, during the opening ceremony of the Pan-Armenian Games, while residents of Gyumri were busy hosting about 11,000 guests, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was in Gyumri with various government officials, and law enforcement representatives were on high alert to prevent any incidents. Tragically, a murder occurred on the road leading to the "Charkhazi Dzor" restaurant in Gyumri.

The murder stemmed from a dispute between two employees of that restaurant over the Gyumri dialect. One of the employees, who is from the town of Masis, had previously worked at another restaurant and was renting a place in Gyumri but mocked the local dialect. The other employee, hailing from Gyumri, had been sensitive to these remarks, and heated discussions about the dialect ensued.

On the day of the incident, the Gyumri employee became very upset. Noticing this, the restaurant manager sent him home to prevent further escalation. However, the conversation continued outside of work.

Today, police released a video, detailing that a 36-year-old resident of the enlarged community of Masis has been charged under part 1 of Article 155 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, to which he has partially confessed. Detention has been chosen as a preventive measure against him.

Authorities also reported that the two employees from "Charkhazi Dzor" continued their dispute late at night on August 6 at approximately 12:30 a.m., outside one of the houses on Boulevard Street in Gyumri. This altercation involved the Gyumri employee's close friend, 36-year-old A. Sardaryan. Interestingly, that employee's brother also took part in the incident.

The other restaurant employee from Masis went to the restaurant after work to settle accounts with another waiter. He attacked his coworker with a knife that he had previously taken, injuring the right forearm. He then struck A. Sardaryan in the left intercostal area of his chest, inflicting life-threatening injuries. In doing so, he unlawfully took A. Sardaryan's life and then fled the scene.

A. Sardaryan had no connection to the conversation regarding the Gyumri dialect; he was, in fact, an innocent victim.