Pashinyan Receives MP's Request to Dismiss Vazgen Manukyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has received a request from MP Arman Babajanyan to dismiss Vazgen Manukyan, the chairman of the Public Council. This information was provided by Pashinyan's spokesperson Vladimir Karapetyan in response to our inquiry, adding that he is not currently aware of when the Prime Minister will respond.

It is noteworthy that Babajanyan announced yesterday that, considering important recent events and developments, as well as the domestic political context, he has appealed to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to demand the dismissal of Vazgen Manukyan. Emphasizing that the Public Council is a constitutional body, Babajanyan also noted that despite the council's mission to address issues concerning the public, there have been no attempts in this direction from the council.

Additionally, apart from the justifications mentioned in the request, Babajanyan has made certain hints on his Facebook page regarding the connection between Vazgen Manukyan and Nairi Hunanyan, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the October 27 case. "Vazgen Manukyan, among others, has nourished the criminal intentions of Nairi Hunanyan. I assume that after 1996, Vazgen Manukyan planned a political vendetta. The picture is coming together—someone who has contributed to Nairi Hunanyan’s schemes has been appointed to the position of chair of the Public Council. Artsvik Minasyan should remember what the ARF was engaged in during the 1990s," wrote Babajanyan.

Vazgen Manukyan's wife, Varduhi Ishkhanyan, addressed the Prosecutor's Office yesterday via a Facebook post, suggesting that they investigate the sources of Babajanyan's finances, his luxurious home, and his affluent media outlets. "I am appealing to the NSS to investigate Babajanyan's connections with foreign services. I also want to understand how Babajanyan and Hunanyan worked together in Karen Demirchyan's headquarters in 1998," Ishkhanyan wrote.