Our comrade-in-arms falling into a coma must be answered for. This was stated by RA Minister of Defense David Tonyan during a conversation with reporters, referring to the incident on 17 September in Yeghegnadzor in which Lieutenant Colonel Ara Mkhitaryan was beaten.
The Minister of Defense noted that at this stage of the preliminary investigation, it would be wrong for the Ministry of Defense to give any assessment.
“We will be consistent in ensuring that the circumstances of the incident are fully clarified. During the stages of the preliminary investigation and the trial, justice and honesty must be ensured. He is our colleague, and our comrade-in-arms falling into a coma in non-combat conditions must be answered for,” David Tonyan emphasized.
Let us recall that on 17 September 2019, at around 23:40, a brawl took place in the courtyard of one of the buildings in the city of Yeghegnadzor involving Lieutenant Colonel Ara Mkhitaryan and Harutyun Grigoryan, assistant to the governor of Vayots Dzor Province. A criminal case was opened regarding the incident under the characteristics of Part 1 of Article 112 of the RA Criminal Code.
The preliminary investigation established that during the altercation, the alleged perpetrator—the governor’s assistant—struck the officer once in the head with his fist, causing him to fall to the ground. Ara Mkhitaryan’s condition continues to remain extremely critical. He is in a coma. During the altercation, in addition to Mkhitaryan, two other officers from the same military unit sustained bodily injuries. The 28-year-old Harutyun Grigoryan has been arrested.
A week after the incident, Vayots Dzor Governor Trdat Sargsyan resigned amid the uproar created around the incident.
