Pashinyan: No place for violence in Republic of Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has condemned the reported assault on opposition activist Mihran Hakobyan, asserting that "violence has no place in the Republic of Armenia." 

Pashinyan, in a statement on Facebook, called for those who incite or engage in violence to face both political and legal consequences, Caliber.Az reports. 

"We must also have effective mechanisms for distinguishing and evaluating cases of psychological and moral violence. But although this is interconnected with physical violence, it is nevertheless a separate issue and does not change our perception of physical violence,” Pashinyan added.

The prime minister’s remarks come after Hakobyan, a former Member of Parliament with the opposition Republican Party, was reportedly attacked on December 8 outside a shopping center in Yerevan. 

According to Hakobyan’s lawyer, Ruben Melikyan, the activist was set upon by masked assailants and sustained injuries. Hakobyan was subsequently hospitalised, though his exact condition has not been disclosed.

No suspects have been identified, and the motive behind the assault remains unclear. 

By Sabina Mammadli