Yerevan mayor reacts to attack on his critic

Newly-elected Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan has reacted to reports of his possible involvement in an attack on activist Artur Chakhoyan, a staunch critic of Avinyan and his team.

The activist was assaulted by three young man near his home on Monday evening. Chakhoyan caught one of the attackers armed with a knife and handed him over to police.

In a live video on Facebook after catching him, Chakhoyan asked the man whether the attack had been ordered by Avinyan.

"I learned about it on social media this morning,” the mayor told reporters. “I unequivocally condemn the violence. Since I am not familiar with the details of the case, I cannot make any assessments. To be honest, I didn't understand what exactly happened."