In Gyumri, 33 people have been arrested in connection with participation in mass riots and obstruction of justice, the Investigative Committee told NEWS.am.

Earlier, NEWS.am reported that on October 20, 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 in front of the City Hall, where scuffles occurred between the police and the crowd. The police detained several people.

The masked officers, carrying out a special operation, quickly arrested Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan from the rear entrance of the City Hall and transported him to Yerevan’s Anti-Corruption Committee.

Later, the Anti-Corruption Committee announced that eight City Hall employees, including Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, were arrested on charges of giving and receiving bribes.

Among the detainees was also the city’s chief architect, Henrik Gasparyan. The Committee released a recorded conversation between the mayor and the chief architect.

It is worth noting that on October 1, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in the National Assembly: “For six months now, Gyumri has been governed by a clan, whose head, known by many as Vardanik—or, according to the charges, the father of a municipal brush thief—has allowed himself to make statements that recently publicly questioned Armenia’s sovereignty. Those who make statements against Armenia’s sovereignty must be expelled from the political and public field.”

The Investigative Committee informed NEWS.am that a group of people gathered near and inside the administrative building of Gyumri City Hall, obstructing the ongoing investigative actions. They carried out various actions that interfered with the investigation, committed mass riots threatening public safety, used violence, and destroyed and damaged property. During these events, they also assaulted police officers who were performing their lawful duties.

On October 20, 2025, the Shirak Regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia initiated a criminal case under:

Article 327, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (participation in mass riots),
Article 452, Part 3 (interference with the lawful service or political activities of an official), and
Article 486, Part 2, Clause 1 (obstruction of justice or interference with an investigation).