Three Injured After Pashinyan’s Motorcade Speeds Through Ararat—Lawyers Slam Government’s “Deceptive” Video Cover-Up

Another car accident involving Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s fast-moving motorcade has left three people injured in Armenia’s Ararat province, once again sparking public anger and renewed questions about the government’s responsibility and transparency.

The accident happened on Sunday when cars collided on a highway shortly after Pashinyan’s motorcade sped through the area. Among the injured was a police officer. All three victims were taken to the hospital; two were released the next day.

The Armenian Interior Ministry quickly released a short video of the incident. The video was intended to clear Pashinyan of blame, showing one car making a U-turn and hitting another vehicle, which then bumped into a police car parked nearby. The accident reportedly occurred inside a local village just after the motorcade passed.

However, critics are not convinced. The ministry claims that neither the prime minister’s limousine, nor the vehicles of his bodyguards or police cars controlling the traffic caused the crash. But several well-known lawyers have strongly disputed this official version.

Prominent lawyer Yervand Varosyan said the video in fact proves the road was blocked too quickly to make way for Pashinyan’s convoy, creating dangerous conditions.

“No impartial person can claim that Nikol Pashinyan’s deadly motorcade was unrelated to the accident that fortunately ended with [non-fatal] injuries this time,” added another lawyer, Raffi Aslanyan.

Aslanyan represents the family of Sona Mnatsakanyan, a 28-year-old pregnant woman tragically killed in 2022 after a police car from Pashinyan’s motorcade struck her in Yerevan. That case remains a painful symbol for many Armenians of how the government avoids taking responsibility for the dangerous conduct of its security forces.

More than three years later, the family of Sona Mnatsakanyan is still seeking justice. The driver of the police car, Major Aram Navasardyan, has been charged with reckless driving and negligence but continues to deny responsibility. Despite being arrested twice, he was released by the courts and remains on the police force. He was neither fired nor suspended.

The family alleges a high-level cover-up. They say no members of Pashinyan’s security detail have been prosecuted, and a key piece of evidence—the audio recordings of radio conversations among Pashinyan’s security team—has mysteriously disappeared. The security services now claim the conversations were not recorded due to a “technical malfunction.”

Even worse, as the young woman lay dying on the street, Pashinyan’s limousine and six other cars in his motorcade simply drove past without stopping. To this day, the prime minister has never publicly commented on her death.

For many Armenians, the message is clear: while ordinary citizens are expected to obey the law, those connected to power often escape responsibility, even when their actions cause injury or death.

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