Police detained instead the activist, Artur Chakhoyan, and five of his other presumed assailants right after the incident that occurred inside the district administration building.
Chakhoyan, who lives in Nor Nork, entered the building to try to attend a discussion between local government officials and ordinary residents on a redevelopment project which he claims is riddled with corruption. He argued there with one of those officials.
“You’re not a good guy,” said the middle-aged man.
“You are not a good guy,” the 37-year-old activist shot back before being assaulted by several other men.
The district chief, Tigran Ter-Margarian, joined in the beating caught on cameras, repeatedly punching Chakhoyan. Ter-Margarian continued the meeting after the violence.
Chakhoyan had bruises on his face and walked with difficulty as he was taken from a Nor Nork police station to the nearby Surb Grigor Lusavorich hospital for a medical examination. A senior doctor there said he suffered a “head injury worrying us” and should be hospitalized. His lawyer said he will stay in the hospital for now.
According to the Armenian Interior Ministry, Chakhoyan and five other men believed to work in the district administration were placed under arrest pending investigation. Ter-Margarian was not among them. The district chief was unrepentant about his violent conduct strongly condemned by opposition figures and other critics of the Armenian government.
“Apart from being the head of the district administration, I’m also a guy, and when they insult you and behave inappropriately, then yes, I think I did the right thing,” he told journalists.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee said later in the day that it has launched a formal inquiry into a violent assault carried out by “a group of individuals.” The law-enforcement agency did not say whether it will charge or question Ter-Margarian.
Meanwhile, the Yerevan municipality issued a statement deploring “any manifestation of violence.”
“At the same time, it is worth noting that swearing, insulting, and any behavior that degrades an individual's dignity are also forms of violence and cannot be considered within the framework of freedom of speech,” it said, clearly pointing the finger at Chakhoyan.
The statement gave no indication that Mayor Tigran Avinian will sack Ter-Margarian. The latter is affiliated with the pro-Western Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party allied to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. Avinian appointed him to run Nor Nork in 2023 as part of a power-sharing deal struck by Hanrapetutyun and Pashinian’s Civil Contract party in the wake of a municipal election.
Hanrapetutyun's leadership effectively defended Ter-Margarian’s violent actions, saying that they were a response to a “provocation” against Armenia’s independence and sovereignty. In a statement, it claimed that opposition forces are thus trying to discredit Hanrapetutyun because of its strong support for Armenia’s membership in the European Union and other pro-Western initiatives.
Chakhoyan has for years accused the Yerevan municipality of corruption, incompetence and mismanagement. He has posted videos decrying the poor quality of infrastructure upgrades financed by the mayor’s office.
One such video publicized by Chakhoyan and an opposition member of the city council, Mesrop Manukian, earlier this week purportedly shows a public kindergarten in Nor Nork which was renovated earlier this year but is already falling into disrepair. Ter-Margarian responded to its publication by threatening and swearing at the two men in a phone call the audio of which they shared with reporters on Tuesday. The Nor Nork chief confirmed and defend the verbal abuse.
