Armenian Police investigates attack on oppositionists

The Armenian Police is conducting an inquiry into the attack on activists of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) during the election campaign in the Constituency No. 7 of Yerevan.

A complaint from Gayane Arustamyan, a member of the Armenian National Congress, who is running for parliament at the single-mandate Yerevan Constituency No. 1, about the attack was filed with the police on April 15 at 7:15 p.m., says the message of the press service of the Police.

According to Ms Arustamyan, on April 15, at 6:40 p.m., during campaigning in Constituency No. 7, in the doorway of the building in Svachyan Street, a group of young men beat her and caused injury to another candidate Babken Garoyan, who is running by the proportional list of the ANC.

At 7:45 p.m., the police station of the Yerevan prefecture Malatia-Sebastia received information from the hospital that Babken Garoyan arrived in the hospital with his nose damaged. "Gayane Arustamyan and Babken Garoyan have been sent to forensic examination. A preliminary investigation is underway," says the press release of the Armenian Police.

Earlier, a statement was made by the central election office of the ANC, noting that oligarchs, supported by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) prevent the ANC's election campaign.

The ANC argues that the attack on their activists was backed up by the well-known oligarch Samvel Alexanyan, who is running for parliament in Constituency No. 7.

However, a representative of the election office of the candidate Samvel Alexanyan has refuted the ANC's accusations that attack could be committed by people related to the RPA.

"We have no such facts; the Republicans could not do it. Maybe, these were voters themselves," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the Alexanyan's office.