In an incident several days ago, the bodyguards of Gagik Tsarukyan and Ashot Aghababyan, a republican legislator and owner of a large trade fair, engaged in a fight in the center of Yerevan. This appears to be the result of an argument around what has been described as “inappropriate parking”. Reports in the media claim that the fight went on for around twenty minutes, with police having arrived, but failing to intervene. It is also reported, that President Robert Kocharyan’s chief of security, Grisha Sarkisyan, arrived at the scene, and mediated an end to the fighting.
Spokespeople for Mr. Aghababyan and Bargavach Hayastan (the party led by Mr. Tsarukyan) have denied the incident, with reports from Mr. Aghababyan’s side going as far as to claim, that he and his bodyguards were absent from the country at the time of the incident.
According to speculation this latest incident is a follow up to other cases involving Mr. Tsarukyan’s security force. In particular, earlier this month, two of his bodyguards were detained in connection to the killing of a Russian officer serving in Armenia, after it was found, that the weapon used in the incident, was registered to Mr. Tsarukyan’s Multi Group.
Artur Papyan
Journalist, blogger, digital security and media consultant
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Every young Armenian walks around with a cell phone. I wish somebody could record it and post it online. Then it would have been a little bit harder to deny their involvement, the way those two oligarchs are doing now.
>>Nanul
I would highly doubt any young armenian would dare do that. Pointing a cell phone or camera at a group of fighting thugs is an invitation to get both sides united in beating you up. Photojournalism is a highly unrewarding job in Armenia, let alone a hobby.
There were quite a few cases of equipment broken and journalists beaten after pointing their cameras at the wrong scenes, the recent cases involve Gagik Shamshyan, a freelance journalist with Aravot and Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.