Armenian authorities detain 13 in Gyumri riots case

Armenian authorities have detained 13 individuals in connection with the unrest that occurred in Gyumri on the day Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan was taken into custody, the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported, according to Caliber.Az citing Armenian media.

The 13 citizens were arrested under the ongoing investigation into mass riots and obstruction of justice. The arrests come amid broader corruption allegations against Gyumri’s municipal leadership. Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and the chief architect of the mayor’s office are accused of taking bribes, with criminal cases opened against the mayor and seven other individuals.

On October 20, law enforcement officers entered the Gyumri City Hall early in the morning. Masked special forces blocked employees from entering or leaving the building. A crowd of citizens gathered outside, leading to scuffles with police and the detention of several people.

During the operation, masked officers arrested Mayor Ghukasyan through a rear entrance and transported him to the Anti-Corruption Committee in Yerevan.

Subsequently, the Anti-Corruption Committee announced that eight City Hall employees, including the mayor, were taken into custody on charges of giving and receiving bribes.

Earlier, on October 1, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the National Assembly, stating: “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.”

By Tamilla Hasanova