A day after the killing of Parakar community head Volodya Grigoryan in Merdzavan, law enforcement agencies have not yet identified suspects, and no arrests have been made. Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet session, Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan was asked whether this indicated inefficiency in the system.
“To measure effectiveness, we need to wait for some time. We must wait until results are achieved,” she said, according to CivilNet.
Asked whether the crime could have been prevented, the minister replied that “the state cannot prevent every crime.”
“We do not yet know who committed the crime, whether there were organizers, or whether the motive was personal or linked to official duties. We have no grounds to discuss causes or to claim that certain officials failed to prevent the incident,” Galyan said.
When journalists suggested that such murders create insecurity among citizens, she responded: “Citizens have no reason to feel unsafe. We have no evidence of widespread crime. Individual cases have happened, are happening, and given human nature, will continue.”
Armavir governor Vahram Khachatryan assured that the September 23 Merdzavan killings were not politically ordered.
“The truth will come out, and the guilty will be punished,” he told reporters, as cited by Aysor.am .
Khachatryan added that Volodya Grigoryan had been one of his close friends. Asked if he felt personally responsible for the situation in the region, he replied, “Yes, of course.” He said he visited Merdzavan after the incident, met with Grigoryan’s family, and expressed condolences and support.
On September 23, at 11:52 p.m., Armenia’s Interior Ministry received a report of gunfire in Merdzavan, Armavir Province. The victims were Volodya Grigoryan, head of Parakar community, and Criminal Police officer Karen Abrahamyan, who was off duty at the time and with Grigoryan in a personal setting. A third individual was wounded, underwent surgery, and is currently in stable condition. A criminal case has been launched.
