‘My brother is being held in prison to not interfere with what is happening in Artsakh’: Tsovinar Khachatryan.

‘Haykakan Zhamanak’ reports: ‘Testimonies against former commander of the Armed Forces, Major General Mikayel Arzumanyan, were collected without notifying the witnesses about which case they were being questioned for. Some of them learned during confrontations that they had testified against Mishko. There were individuals who, knowing how their testimonies would be used, refused to provide them. Others retracted their statements during the confrontations.

This was shared with us by General Mikayel Arzumanyan’s sister, Tsovinar Khachatryan. ‘All testimonies against him are retracted when it goes to confrontations. No evidence has been gathered during these confrontations, and those testimonies are not supported by facts. Six months have passed, but none of the accusations have been substantiated,’ says the general’s sister.

Recall that Mikayel Arzumanyan, who served as commander of the Armed Forces during the last 12 days of the 44-day war, from October 27, 2020, when former commander Jalal Harutyunyan was wounded and could no longer serve, is accused of the fall of Shushi. According to the Investigative Committee, he is alleged to have acted negligently in organizing the defense of Shushi and the surrounding area, failing to ensure the effective use of the military’s combat capabilities and the successful completion of assigned tasks, among other things.

His sister has been organizing protests in support of her brother. She believes that the closure of the Lachin corridor and her brother's imprisonment are interconnected realities. ‘Even a small child in Artsakh knows who Mikayel Arzumanyan is. If he were free, the people would support him, and he would help open the road. He has been imprisoned so that some can act, finish their vile deeds, sell everything, and find peace. It’s not just my brother. Today, dissatisfaction is growing among officers. There’s an internal conversation among servicemen about how long we should remain silent, and if the issue of Lachin road is not resolved, we will stand up,’ added Tsovinar Khachatryan.