We expected a case to be opened, but we didn’t think these actions could be classified as hooliganism. Tatev Soghoyan, the lawyer for Arsen Ghukasyan, the uncle of Sarkis Ghukasyan, a soldier missing in action during the 44-day war, made this statement today, October 13, in a Facebook live broadcast.
She noted that the protesters had made a fair demand and had gone to the Ministry of Defense for a pre-arranged meeting, but they were deceived, provoked with various insults, and a stampede ensued. According to the lawyer, Arsen Ghukasyan always stated during the protests that their problem wasn’t the police, calling on them to treat the police with respect and understanding that they were doing their job.
“However, it’s impossible not to be angry when a relative of a missing person is dragged and beaten during a protest. That’s the reality of the incident. It was strange to us that Arsen Ghukasyan was declared the leader of the relatives of a missing person, a man displaying aggressive behavior. It seems that if he weren’t there, people would say, ‘Well, no children, no children, let’s stay home, let’s wait,'” said Tatev Soghoyan.
She noted that Arsen Ghukasyan constantly embarrassed a number of officials with his harsh questions. According to Soghoyan, as a result of the protests by the relatives of missing and fallen servicemen, forensic examinations were ordered to obtain information about Ghukasyan’s health.
As a reminder, Arsen Ghukasyan’s brother was killed during the 44-day war, and his nephew is missing in action.
Arsen Gukasyan was arrested on October 7 after an incident with military police officers during a rally outside the Ministry of Defense building and then jailed for a month for “hooliganism.”