Armenian officer Edik Maloyan arrested

Armenian officer Edik Maloyan, honored for his role in the 2016 Artsakh war, was arrested on Thursday, according to Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the opposition Strong Armenia party.

Writing on social media, Karapetyan said Maloyan was instrumental in recapturing the frontline position where soldier Robert Abajyan and his commander Armenak Urfanyan were killed during the April 2016 clashes. Maloyan received the First Degree Battle Cross for his deeds.

Following the 2020 war, Maloyan was dismissed from the army after striking an Azerbaijani commander who mistreated him during a border demarcation dispute, Karapetyan added. He claimed Maloyan’s arrest was politically motivated, saying the officer was detained “for wanting to live in a Strong Armenia.”