Armenian PM’s son assaulted

Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's son, Ashot Pashinyan, has been assaulted.

Simonyan revealed Ashot Pashinyan’s assault a day after being assaulted in downtown Yerevan himself, according to Armenpress.

“Yesterday [April 2] Ashot Pashinyan was assaulted too. A few days before that, an ARF [opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation -Dashnaktsyutun] MP attacked and punched Vladimir Vardanyan, the chairman of the parliamentary committee on state-legal affairs, some ARF [member] commits a provocation from 100 metres away against the parliament speaker in downtown Yerevan, and yesterday an attack against the prime minister’s son also took place. This is a series of organised provocations, and I am sure that the traces lead beyond our country’s borders, and the legal and political reaction to this will take place swiftly. Armenia will remain a democracy and will develop its democracy, there will be peace in our region,” Simonyan said on social media.

The speaker of parliament was allegedly involved in an altercation with a passerby in Yerevan on April 2.

The passerby, Karen Mkrtchyan, a Diaspora-Armenian and registered ARF member, said on social media that he saw Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan in central Yerevan and called him a “traitor”. Mkrtchyan claimed that Alen Simonyan allegedly ordered his security detail to restrain him, and then Simonyan allegedly spat on his face.

Simonyan later issued a statement, acknowledging that an incident took place but neither confirming nor denying the alleged spitting.  He said that insults against the legitimate authorities of Armenia will receive a legitimate reaction.