NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE RELEASES GUARD AND DRIVER OF “NEW TIMES”
PARTY LEADER
Yerevan, April 21. ArmInfo. The guard and the driver of the “New
Times” opposition party leader Aram Karapetyan taken today to the
National Security Service of Armenia have been just
released. A. Karapetyan told ArmInfo.
As Aram Karapetyan told ArmInfo, today at 12:55 PM, 12 people,
including 8 with masks, by three cars of “VAZ-2106” mark blocked the
path of the “New Times” party’s two cars of “GAZ-3110” mark near the
Erebuni Community’s Police department. According to Karapetyan, the
people in masks aimed their submachine guns at him and his assistants,
then with shouts “we shall shoot, go out of cars”, they roughly pulled
the driver and the Head of Karapetyan’s personal guard out of car,
beat them on heads and laid them on the asphalt facedown.
The driver harmed his leg. Then they took off their gas guns, “put
them into handcuffs”, made them change their cars and drove away in an
unknown direction. Several officers drove away by both “GAZ-3110” cars
of the “New Times” party. The people in masks recorded the detention
with 4 cameras. According to Karapetyan, he reached his office by
taxi. He told that he had immediately contacted the deputy Head of the
RA Police, lieutenant-general Hovhannes Varyan, who allowed
Karapetyan’s officers to hold gas guns, but he informed that the
Police bears no relation to today’s action. Later, Karapetyan
clarified that his driver and the guards were taken to Armenia’s
National Security Service.
The Head of the Armenian NSS’s press-office Artsvin Baghramyan
confirmed in the talk with ArmInfo’s correspondent that the detainees
were in the NSS. According to him, the officers of the NSS acted
according to the law, thus, responding the incoming alarms that “the
“NT” party members walk about the city with guns”. “We shall clarify
where the arms are from. If their documents are OK, the detainees will
be surely set free”, Baghramyan said.
A. Karapetyan says 4 of the 6 bodyguards, who have been released, are
undergoing medical examination for the bodily harms received while
detained. The “gas guns” are still at the NSS. However, NSS apologized
to A. Karapetyan and his guard, the leader says. Besides, both the
cars were returned, one “fully ruined”. A. Karapetyan says he has been
shadowed for the last 10 months. The names of 14 members of the party,
who are agents of NSS and Police and “joined the party with a special
purpose”, will be made public shortly.