Human rights activist slams ‘disgraceful’ police report on fatal shooting in Armenian village

Panorama
Armenia – June 20 2022

Human rights activist Ruben Melikyan has denounced the “disgraceful” police report regarding the deadly shooting in Nigavan, a village near the town of Aparan in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province, on Sunday evening.

Politik.am reported that the shooting took place following a conflict between relatives of a lawmaker from Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party as well as a cousin of Deputy Governor of Aragatsotn Edgar Parvanyan and a group of young men, who allegedly insulted Pashinyan.

Seven victims of the shooting were taken to various hospitals, where two of them died.

The police said the conflict was of “purely domestic nature” and had no political overtones.

"The disgraceful police report is enough to cast doubt on the entire course of the investigation, as the "undesirable" versions (a political subtext) are denied, while the “desired" circumstances (the use of a hunting rifle, not a machine gun, Civil Contract supporters were allegedly not involved) are confirmed,” Melikyan wrote on Facebook.