Andranik Piloyan should be stripped off National Hero title if found guilty, says Speaker of Parliament

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan said that former Minister of Emergency Situations Andranik Piloyan should be stripped off his Order of Fatherland if found guilty on the charges he faces.

Major-General Andranik Piloyan was awarded the Order of Fatherland and subsequently the National Hero of Armenia title during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War. He was the Commander of the 5th Army Corps and was appointed Minister of Emergency Situations after the war.

Simonyan made the comments when a reporter mentioned that Piloyan was a member of the current administration, has the National Hero of Armenia title and is now jailed.

“I think it’s time to revise the institution of bestowing the National Hero title. We must understand whether or not the people should retain it in the event of a [guilty] court verdict. I think these people shouldn’t retain the National Hero title if found guilty by a court of law,” Simonyan said.

Piloyan is jailed pending trial since March 2022 on bribery charges.