ArmInfo.Based on 108 reports about violations and fraud during the Sept 18 local elections, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has launched monitoring measures.
The press office of the Prosecutor General has told ArmInfo that 200 reports about violations in Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Syunik and Tavush provinces have been received; 108 of them contained obvious elements of crime. The relevant files have been sent to the local departments of Armenian Police.
In addition, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has instituted a criminal case over abduction of a member of the Elders' Council of Etchmiadzin based on the Elders' Council member's report under Article 131.2.2 (Kidnapping by a group of persons with prior agreement; kidnapping by using violence dangerous for life or health or threat of using violence); as well as Article 149.2 Items 3 and 5 (Hindrance to implementation of the right to elect accompanied with violence or threats to use violence) of the Armenian Criminal Code.
The criminal case will be sent to the Investigative Committee for pretrial investigation. At the same time, an instruction has been issued to launch the necessary search and criminal procedure measures aimed at disclosing the crime within the shortest period possible. To recall, candidate for Etchmiadzin Mayor Arthur Tumanyan has accused his rival and the winner of the past local elections Karen Grigoryan, who is the son of MP Manvel Grigoryan, of kidnapping his supporter Kirakos Bazhakyan. "We learned that Grigoryan and his men kidnapped Kirakos Bazhakyan, a member of our campaign headquarters", he said. Moreover, he accuses his rival of attacking and using violence against him. Tumanyan and his teammate Smbat Abgaryan were hospitalized. Meantime, the spokesperson of the Etchmiadzin Municipality Vardan Vardanyan disclaimed the reports on Bazhakyan's kidnapping calling it provocation.
Meanwhile, Grigoryan's supporters say that the scuffle between the rivals started because Tumanyan shot at the car of Grigoryan's brother, where the mayor was. Tumanyan, in turn, claims that he had no arms and Grigoryan had. The Investigative Committee has already initiated a criminal case based on Article 34-104.6.2 (attempted murder).