Arrests reported in two Armenian villages

Residents of Verin Dvin, a community in Armenia’s Ararat Province, have reported a series of early morning arrests carried out by officers from the Artashat Police Department. Opposition Hayastan faction MP Zemfira Mirzoyan revealed that law enforcement officers entered the village without warning and began detaining people unlawfully.

Locals claim that police officers disrupted ongoing agricultural work and issued threats. Eyewitness accounts indicate that both men and women were among those detained.

Speaking to Panorama.am, Narek Sargsyan, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, said that residents of the Arevshat community had been arrested as part of an ongoing hooliganism investigation. He added that police operations were underway in Verin Dvin to detain other individuals believed to be involved in the same incident.

Investigative Committee spokesperson Kima Avdalyan told Panorama.am that a criminal case was launched on July 16 based on reports related to the incident. Charges have been filed under Articles 195 and 297 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, covering group violence and group hooliganism committed through information or communication technologies. Four individuals have been arrested as part of the investigation.