Gyumri mayor Vardan Ghukasyan wrote on Facebook that the murder of Parakar mayor Volodya Grigoryan in Merdzavan proves the severe crisis facing Armenia’s law enforcement and the state overall.
He said popularly elected mayors who enjoy the trust and respect of their communities “have turned into living targets.”
“This is evidence of the lawlessness prevailing in the country, the lack of justice, the activity of deadly gangs, and impunity. In reality, law enforcement is busy repressing dissenters instead of preventing such crimes,” Ghukasyan stated.
He recalled that the assassination attempt against him on April 2, 2007, when four of his friends were killed and deputy mayor Gagik Manukyan was severely wounded, also remains unsolved. “That politically ordered crime, unfortunately, gave birth to new ones,” he said.
Ghukasyan condemned Grigoryan’s murder, describing threats voiced by the country’s top leadership as “state policy.” He expressed condolences to Grigoryan’s family and the residents of Merdzavan.
On September 23 at 11:52 p.m., police received a call about gunfire on Yerevanyan Highway in Merdzavan, Armavir Province. Two people were killed, including Volodya Grigoryan, a member of the Country to Live party’s political council, who was elected Parakar mayor in April 2025. He was the father of four. One person was injured.
