YEREVAN. – A fair examination must be conducted, in connection with the incident that occurred at Harsnaqar Restaurant belonging to MP Ruben Hayrapetyan, and all those who are guilty must be punished, Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan stated during a press conference on Friday, reflecting on the beating and subsequent death of medical physician Vahe Avetyan.       

As per the MP, everything had started during the tenure of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, when a man was killed at a capital city Yerevan café. 

“If that well-known incident had not occurred, perhaps Vahe Avetyan’s incident likewise would not have transpired.

The society needs to take measures so that oligarchs like Ruben Hayrapetyan would be compelled to give up their [parliamentary] mandates. Ruben Hayrapetyan is not alone at the Parliament. There are “brighter” faces in the [National Assembly] NA [and] who should not have any connection with the legislative body,” noted Zaruhi Postanjyan, and added:

“Obligating such people to renounce [their NA] mandates should become an ongoing process. It is possible that the renunciation [from the NA seat] was not Ruben Hayrapetyan’s decision, it is possible that he was not the one who wrote the statement on giving up the mandate, but what’s important is that such decision was reached under public pressure.”       

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, an incident had occurred at Armenian capital city Yerevan’s Harsnaqar Restaurant on June 17, where several military doctors including Edgar Mikoyan, Arkadi Aghajanyan, Garik Soghomonyan, Artak Bayadyan and Vahe Avetyan were brutally beaten by Ruben Hayrapetyan’s security personnel.

And Vahe Avetyan died in hospital on June 29.

A criminal case is launched and the Police have detained six people.

The Restaurant’s owner is senior ruling party MP—who on Tuesday submitted his resignation from his parliamentary seat—, Football Federation of Armenia President, and businessman Ruben Hayrapetyan.   

Photo by Sona Barseghyan