The activist, Artur Chakhoyan, said one of the attackers tried to stab him as the two others fled the scene. Although he did not explicitly accuse anyone of organizing the attack, in a video posted by him on Facebook overnight he can be heard asking one of the men whether they were sent by Tigran Avinian, Yerevan’s incoming new mayor who has effectively run the city since March.
Avinian denied any involvement when he spoke to reporters after the newly elected city council appointed him as mayor on Tuesday.
“I unequivocally condemn violence, but I am not aware of details of the incident and can’t comment on it,” said the senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party.
The Armenian police reported that two persons were brought in for questioning in connection with the incident. It did not name them or clarify whether they were set free.
Another law-enforcement agency, the Investigative Committee, said, meanwhile, that the man who allegedly tried to stab Chakhoyan denied carrying a knife and claimed that he himself was assaulted by the activist. He told investigators that he simply wanted to discuss with the activist rumors that the latter “passes on some information to Azerbaijanis,” the committee added in a statement. It did not bring criminal charges against either man.
In his social media posts, Chakhoyan has repeatedly accused the Yerevan municipality of corruption, incompetence and mismanagement. In recent days, he posted videos decrying what he described as the poor quality of infrastructure upgrades financed by the mayor’s office. In particular, he claimed that public kindergartens renovated earlier this year are already falling into disrepair.
Armenia - The ruling party's mayoral candidate Tigran Avinian leads a campaign rally in Yerevan, September 15, 2023.
Chakhoyan also made headlines in the run-up to the September 17 municipal elections in the Armenian capital. A video posted on his Facebook page showed him posing as a ruling party activist and questioning participants of a campaign rally held by Avinian in the city’s Nor Nork district. Their answers suggested that entire staffs of schools, kindergartens and local government bodies took part in the rally.
The blogger accused the party headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of forcing them to rally for Avinian in hopes of boosting his chances in the polls. Avinian strongly denied that.