Surén Petrosyan Details His Disappearance

Surén Petrosyan, a political analyst and activist of the "Tavush for the Homeland" movement, reappeared in Hrazdan on June 12, after clashes broke out following a rally near the National Assembly. He revealed the details of his experience in an interview with 24news.

“When they say that on June 12, as soon as the clashes began near the National Assembly, Surén Petrosyan disappeared, that is the biggest lie. Before the rally began on Baghramyan Avenue, I received calls saying I should come to this address in Yerevan or face detention. I told them, you can come to Baghramyan Avenue, we can sit in a car and talk; I won't be absent from the rally,” Petrosyan explained.

According to him, since he did not trust the caller, he informed his associates that he would likely be detained. Petrosyan got into a friend’s car and went to the beginning of Baghramyan Avenue, where he left his friends and entered the specified car. However, the conversation took place not in the car, but in one of the private homes in Hrazdan.

When Petrosyan asked where they were from, they indicated it was “from the fearful organization” (presumably the National Security Service), but did not provide any identification to substantiate their claim. Subsequently, two senior officers joined them and engaged in political discussions with Petrosyan until late in the evening.

They stated that the movement was headed down the wrong path, warning of potential loss of life, and suggested that Petrosyan change the focus of the movement by 180 degrees to avoid disastrous consequences.

“My response was that it wasn’t that I wouldn’t cooperate (that recording may come out one day), I said that I am for the state, but not for the authorities, and what you are suggesting, I cannot physically do; I have no ability to shift the movement to the right or left. I did not say, you have come, what are you telling me, I said that I do not have the capability to do that,” the political analyst recounted.

He noted that during the conversation, numerous recordings were presented to him, including those involving him, not as compromat, but to demonstrate that all of this was coordinated, indicating that the movement was leading to ruin, and ultimately people would be sacrificed, for which he could bear the responsibility.

At dawn, when the conversation concluded, Petrosyan requested to be taken to Tsaghkadzor. In the morning, he called his friends to inform them that he was well, and they came to pick him up. The next day, after the rally, he discussed the entire ordeal with Bishop Bagrat. He stated that 4-5 days later, the recordings that were made public (regarding the material incentives offered to movement participants to attend rallies) represented only 5 percent of the recordings he had heard.

It is worth noting that on June 12, clashes erupted between police and members and supporters of the "Tavush for the Homeland" movement near the National Assembly. The police used flashbang grenades, resulting in injuries to 101 individuals, including police officers.