Kyaramian clashed with the pro-government lawmaker, Hovik Aghazarian, during a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. He lost his temper after Aghazarian accused him of being disrespectful towards an opposition colleague and said the Investigative Committee tries to bully citizens with unjustified arrests or threats of them.
Kyaramian responded by declaring that nobody in Armenia has dared to interrupt or deride his public speeches.
“If there were such people, it means that I reacted very softly and my reaction will be felt later,” he added menacingly, prompting a stern rebuke from Andranik Kocharian, a senior Civil Contract parliamentarian who chaired the hearing.
Two other pro-government deputies also criticized Kyaramian. Aghazarian, whose son is currently under criminal investigation, demanded the 34-year-old law-enforcement official’s ouster right after the incident. He insisted on Wednesday that “that young man with such qualities cannot serve as head of such an important agency.”
Armenia - Parliament deputy Hovik Aghazarian.
Some media outlets reported the previous night that several Civil Contract lawmakers have decided to officially demand Kyaramian’s sacking or resignation. Kocharian, who heads the parliament committee on defense and security, did not confirm that.
“I don’t know if anyone has initiated such a thing,” he told journalists. “But maybe there is no need for that.”
At the same time, Kocharian again described Kyaramian’s behavior as unacceptable and said the lawmakers representing the ruling party will discuss it.
More than two dozen of those lawmakers signed late last month a petition calling on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to fire Justice Minister Grigor Minasian. The latter resigned on October 1.
The Investigative Committee did not clarify on Wednesday whether Kyaramian could also quit. It said only that he has nothing to add to what he said in the parliament.
Pashinian has not yet publicly commented on the unprecedented incident. Kyaramian is widely regarded as one of his trusted lieutenants.
Vartan Harutiunian, a veteran human rights activist, said that the incident highlighted the “quality” of individuals chosen by Pashinian to hold parliament seats and run government or law-enforcement agencies.
“They mimic their leader [Pashinian,]” Harutiunian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Their leader behaves in a similar manner in the parliament. I can now imagine how they deal with people caught by them in some criminal investigations.”
One criminal suspect accused Kyaramian of personally torturing him in custody in June 2023. The Investigative Committee chief denied the accusation.
Kyaramian also found himself in hot water last year after meeting with a group of relatives of Armenians who went missing during the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. The investigative publication Hetq.am reported that he manhandled one of the disgruntled relatives during the meeting.