Searches connected to the widely circulated video message addressed to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan by masked individuals have been underway for a third consecutive day in apartments rented by relatives and family members of Artsakh native Mher Mirzoyan, according to attorney Roman Yeritsyan.
In a post on Facebook, Yeritsyan wrote:
“According to the young woman who contacted us, their apartment was searched three days ago in the early morning. She said the apartment was completely turned upside down, all mobile phones were confiscated, her mother and several other individuals were taken in for questioning, and all of this took place in the presence of a nine-month-old baby and a two-year-old child.
The family is terrified and has effectively found itself in isolation. After their phones were seized, they lost contact with relatives, are unable even to take their children to a doctor, are clearly under surveillance, and, according to them, managed to find my phone number only with great difficulty.
What is particularly noteworthy is that Mher Mirzoyan is suspected solely on the basis of physical resemblance, specifically similarities in the eyes.
Although the eye color of the person speaking in the video is clearly different from Mher Mirzoyan’s eye color, and despite the fact that he has been living in Russia for more than three years, intensive investigative actions continue, and a search warrant has been issued for him,” the post said.
Earlier, a video circulated online showing several masked individuals speaking in the Artsakh dialect and using insulting language toward Prime Minister Pashinyan. “Nikol, you will answer for this. We know where you go and which streets you pass through. We are going to get you, Nikol,” one of them says, while the others appear to be holding what look like assault rifles.
During a campaign event in Yerevan’s Arabkir district on May 18, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the video and responded in harsh terms. He urged those involved to voluntarily surrender to law enforcement authorities, adding that he would find each of them individually.
