Ruben Mkhitaryan, a member of the “Our Way” (“Mer Dzevov”) movement founded by Russian-Armenian entrepreneur Samvel Karapetyan (currently jailed in Yerevan), has been detained, the movement reported.

“Mkhitaryan, acting as a human rights advocate, was attempting to calm the unacceptable situation that had arisen at the Gyumri City Hall,” the statement said.

Earlier, NEWS.am reported that law enforcement officers entered the Gyumri City Hall early in the morning. Masked special forces prevented employees from entering or leaving the building. Citizens gathered outside the city hall, where a large number of police officers had been deployed, and their numbers continued to increase. Several citizens were taken into custody by the police.

In a special operation, masked officers quickly took Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan from the back entrance of the city hall by car. When he was running toward the vehicle, he was smiling. Ghukasyan is being transported to Yerevan to the Anti-Corruption Committee.

Later, the Anti-Corruption Committee issued a statement noting that eight city hall employees, including Mayor Ghukasyan, have been arrested on charges of giving and receiving bribes.

Among those arrested is also the city’s chief architect, Henrik Gasparyan. The committee’s statement included a wiretapped recording of a conversation between the mayor and the chief architect.