Gyumri councilor says many protesters detained at central square

Many people were detained during a protest in Gyumri’s central square on Monday, according to opposition councilor and producer Ruben Mkhtaryan.

In a Facebook live video, Mkhtaryan reported that “numerous individuals have been taken to police stations in Gyumri”. Speaking outside the Kumayri Police Station, he said that one of the detainees was his namesake and friend, Ruben Mkhtaryan, a member of the Our Way (Mer Dzevov) movement.

The detained activist is the son of late Ashot Mkhtaryan, former coach of the Armenian men’s weightlifting team. Describing him as “a modest and highly skilled professional”, the opposition member condemned what he called political repression. “These are the kinds of people being detained, charged and imprisoned in Armenia under Pashinyan,” he said.

The protest was sparked by the arrest of Gyumri’s opposition mayor, Vardan Ghukasyan, who has been charged with bribery along with seven other municipal officials.