Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has strongly condemned the armed attack in the village of Merdzavan, part of the enlarged Parakar community, which resulted in the deaths of local leader Volodya Grigoryan and his friend. Pashinyan made the statement via his Facebook page.
"I strongly condemn the brazen armed assault that took place in Merdzavan, part of the Parakar community, which led to the deaths of community leader V. Grigoryan and his friend. Another individual remains in critical condition.
I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and to the people of Parakar. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.
Armenian law enforcement must swiftly identify all individuals involved in this crime.
A thorough analysis is also needed to understand what preventive measures should have been taken to avoid a series of violent incidents in Parakar, who was responsible for those measures, and why they were not implemented. Necessary conclusions will be drawn from this analysis," the post reads.
On September 23 at 23:52, the Ministry of Internal Affairs received a report of gunfire on Yerevanyan Avenue in the village of Merdzavan, Armavir Province. Two people were killed and one injured. One of the deceased was Valodya Grigoryan, head of the Parakar community and a member of the political council of the Country to Live party. He had been elected mayor of Parakar in April 2025 and was a father of four.
