Exclusive: Footage shows Pashinyan's bodyguard striking teenage boy during church service

Video footage released by lawyer Lusine Martirosyan appears to show one of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s bodyguards punching and knocking down the 18-year-old boy who confronted him at a church in Yerevan.

The incident took place at St. Anna Church during a Palm Sunday service. The video shows the moment when the security officer accompanying the prime minister strikes the young man identified as David Minasyan, causing him to fall to the ground.

On Wednesday, a Yerevan court ordered Minasyan’s pre-trial detention for two months. Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan granted a motion by the Investigative Committee, citing allegations that the 18-year-old had obstructed the political activities of the prime minister.

Minasyan, however, was not transferred to Armavir Penitentiary as scheduled. Reports indicate that his health deteriorated shortly after the court hearing and he was subsequently taken to hospital.