Police Detain Masis Mayor Davit Hambardzumyan Moments After He Steps Off Plane

The opposition mayor of Masis, a small town about 20 kilometers south of Yerevan, has been arrested and sent to prison to serve a six-year sentence. The court decision, issued last week, has been strongly condemned by his Republican Party (HHK), which accuses the Armenian government of political persecution. The Armenian Report’s Ani Khachatryan was at Zvartnots International Airport covering the arrest of Masis Mayor Davit Hambardzumyan tonight.

Davit Hambardzumyan, who has served as the mayor of Masis since 2016, was found guilty of assaulting participants of the 2018 antigovernment protests that brought Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to power. Throughout the six-year trial, Hambardzumyan denied the charges, calling the case politically motivated.

When the verdict was announced on October 23, Hambardzumyan was in Russia. He had pledged to return to Armenia and continue working with his Republican Party allies to challenge Pashinyan’s government. Upon his return to Yerevan, he was immediately arrested at Zvartnots International Airport after stepping off the plane.

At the airport, Hambardzumyan’s mother also spoke to reporters. She said, “I begged him not to come back, but my son is strong and unbreakable. This government is afraid of him because he was the only impeachment candidate. My son has always stood by the people. Many from the Masis community are here outside shouting and demanding his freedom. Even people from Artsakh have come — for a week now, everyone has been calling me, saying we must stand by our mayor. The people of Artsakh say he was the only one who welcomed and helped them, and maybe that’s exactly what this government didn’t like.”

His wife, Kristine Hakobyan, also told journalists that Hambardzumyan had the option not to return to Armenia but chose to do so out of a clear conscience. “He decided to come back because he is completely innocent — before his conscience and his will. Our entire family supports his decision and we are proud of his actions. The children, though very young, understand what is happening. It’s difficult, but they are proud of their father,” Hakobyan said.

Outside the airport, groups of protesters, including residents of Masis and displaced people from Artsakh, expressed anger over the arrest. Many shouted that the ruling Civil Contract party was “destroying the state” and claimed that Hambardzumyan was targeted because he treated people with respect.

A short video posted online by pro-HHK activist Narek Malyan also showed police detaining Hambardzumyan as dozens of supporters gathered in solidarity. In the footage, the 39-year-old mayor can be heard saying, “I expected you,” as officers surrounded him.

Eduard Sharmazanov, a senior Republican Party member, was among those at the airport. “I hope that Davit Hambardzumyan will be the last political prisoner of this regime,” he told reporters.

The Republican Party says the arrest is part of an effort by the authorities to prevent the party from moving forward with its plan to submit a parliamentary motion of no confidence against Pashinyan. Earlier this year, the HHK proposed Hambardzumyan as its candidate for prime minister. The party has called his sentencing part of an “ongoing wave of political repression” targeting opposition figures.

Hambardzumyan’s arrest comes just days after another opposition mayor, Vartan Ghukasyan of Gyumri, was detained on corruption charges that he denies. His arrest on October 20 sparked protests in Armenia’s second-largest city, where supporters clashed with security forces brought in from Yerevan.

Ghukasyan had become mayor after the ruling Civil Contract party lost the March 30 municipal elections in Gyumri. Civil Contract was also defeated that day in a nearby rural community west of Yerevan, where opposition candidate Volodya Grigoryan was elected mayor. Grigoryan was shot dead on September 22 in what law enforcement authorities described as a revenge killing.

Although the suspected shooter was arrested and confessed, Grigoryan’s family and supporters insist that the case remains unsolved. Opposition groups say the murder, like the recent arrests, reflects a broader pattern of intimidation against political opponents and growing impunity for government loyalists.

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.