“Heritage” party member Hovsep Ghazaryan and party supporter Vahagn Hovhannisyan were taken into custody by the police and later released after drawing advertisements of the “Heritage” party on the walls of the National Assembly building.
“Heritage” party leader Raffi Hovhannisyan spoke to reporters about the incident. “Last night around midnight we were gluing our “smiley” onto different posters and, just as during the revolution, we had some slogans, Mr. Pashinyan’s picture, and we used street art as a means of expression, which was not disrupted or interrupted by anyone. This was the continuation of that. There was no Raffi, there was no “Heritage,” it was only this “smiley.” We didn’t do it sooner. Unlike us, others used their administrative levers or their being a state representative, their posters have already been hung up, but let the citizens of Yerevan choose them, if that’s what they want. It’s more important that the election be free, regardless of the result, than have me be elected.”
Answering the question of whether official levers were the reason why others didn’t have any incidents of arrest and it was specifically members of his party who were taken into custody, Raffi Hovhannisyan said, “I can’t say. I know that our young leader, Hovsep Ghazaryan, was participating in a fully legal activity with his friend, who was a cultural, civilized means of expression. I think that it was an unfounded arrest. His arrest was illegal and I am happy that the police and the current authorities understood that and freed him. I don’t want to think that they were specifically targeted. I hope that such incidents will not continue, because “Heritage” is on everyone’s side, it supports all colors, and it wishes every color success.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
