YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — An activist with businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s electoral alliance has been stabbed and seriously wounded by men allegedly linked to the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), it emerged on Monday, March 20.
Aram Asatrian, head of the Tsarukian Bloc’s campaign office in the central Armen village of Kuchak, and one of his friends were attacked near their community late on Sunday. They both were rushed to a hospital in the nearby town of Aparan.
Asatrian was transferred to the Astghik Medical Center in Yerevan the following morning. The chief doctor there described his condition as “grave” but said the 32-year-old does not need surgery yet.
In a statement, the Armenian police said the two men were stabbed by “an unknown individual.” It said nothing about possible reasons for the dispute. Nor did the police report any arrests.
The mayor of Kuchak, Hovik Amirian, also would not say whether the stabbing is linked to campaigning for the April 2 parliamentary elections. Amirian said only that Asatrian is a “decent” and peaceful person.
