Head of the Armenian town of Kajaran Manvel Paramazyan has issued the following statement:

“Dear citizens, as the truly elected and legitimate head of Kajaran town, I consider it my moral duty and power to address you and tell you that, first of all, you all have the right to know the details about the infamous events of the past few days from me and that, most importantly, I am capable of standing up for the rights and dignity of each and every resident.

As you know, a few days ago, the police conducted searches in my apartment and my close ones’ apartments, and they obviously didn’t find anything suspicious. Afterwards, the police began to detain our fellow citizens through the use of violence for no reason.

This is, in essence, political persecution. It is no secret that I have never been engaged in political intrigues and have only been involved in the development of our community.

However, as you can see, some state officials can’t tolerate my popularity, reputation and political neutrality. I call on those responsible for these disgraceful acts to put an end to the unlawful repressions against the residents of Syunik Province. Destabilization of the situation in Syunik, the gateway to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), is not in any Armenian’s favor and will lead to grave consequences.”