YEREVAN. – In actual fact, Armenian presidential candidate, opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan—who is at capital city Yerevan’s Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center as a result of a gunshot wound—remained alive by a miracle. National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Arthur Baghdasaryan, who had come to visit Hayrikyan at the hospital, told this to news reporters on Friday.

“I deplore [what happened], [and] am confident that our power structures will do everything to solve [the case] and to subject [the guilty] to severe punishment because this is an insidious and a treacherous blow during this [presidential] election period and, in actual fact, it was carried out against the authorities of Armenia,” Baghdasaryan stated.      

Also, the NSC chief informed that the country’s president has given firm instructions to promptly solve what has transpired. 

“The solving of the crime will give the answers to many questions, so that our country may have a peaceful course, especially since we are in the middle of the presidential campaign, and you are seeing that the campaign is going smoothly,” Arthur Baghdasaryan said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, an assassination attempt was made against presidential candidate, opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan, on Thursday at around 11:20pm in downtown Yerevan. Hayrikyan was shot in the chest and hospitalized with a gunshot wound in the right collarbone. He is in undergoing treatment at the intensive care department.

A criminal case is opened in connection with the assassination attempt against Paruyr Hayrikyan. It is launched on charges of carrying out an assassination attempt against a statesman, political or public figure, which—that is, the attempt—is carried out to end this person’s noted activities. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for 12-20 years, or life in prison.    

The National Security Service is conducting the investigation.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am