‘168 Hours’: Prime Minister's Godfather Hayk Ghalumyan Personally Visits Families of Detainees and Promises Freedom

‘168 Hours’ newspaper reports that serious public unrest occurred in the Tavush region due to the clashes between forest loggers from Ijevan and the police in mid-July. There were arrests, and 13 individuals were charged, with 10 of them being detained.

Information has reached 168.am that some detainees related to the Ijevan clashes are now free, which is connected to the upcoming elections for the mayor of Ijevan. The current authorities, who have constantly criticized their predecessors for releasing jailed community leaders before elections to secure votes, are now seemingly taking advantage of the same resources by releasing the detainees who were more actively involved during the Ijevan clashes, perhaps in exchange for certain services.

It is no secret that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan appointed his godfather, Hayk Ghalumyan—brother of Vahe Ghalumyan, a deputy in the ‘My Step’ faction of the National Assembly and former governor of Tavush—as the acting mayor of Ijevan, hoping to see him elected in the upcoming mayoral elections.

Incidentally, the mayoral elections in Ijevan were supposed to take place in September, but since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's reputation was severely damaged following the incidents related to illegal logging, and his candidate had little chance of winning in September, it was decided to postpone the elections to a later date for better preparations and to avoid surprises.

In Ijevan, it is said that Prime Minister Pashinyan's godfather Hayk Ghalumyan personally visits the families of the detainees, promising to mediate for their release, provided they work in his favor and bring votes during the elections.

Details in today’s newspaper issue.