No discussion within Civil Contract over Avet Konjoryan case, Pashinyan says

There is currently no discussion within the ruling Civil Contract party regarding the case involving Avet Konjoryan, the brother of Civil Contract parliamentary faction leader Hayk Konjoryan, as legal proceedings are underway, Prime Minister and Civil Contract Board Chairman Nikol Pashinyan said after a meeting of the party’s board.

“All citizens of the Republic of Armenia are equal before the law. Being a member of Civil Contract gives no one any privileges, but neither does it diminish anyone. There is no discussion within the party. A legal process is underway,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister noted that there had been previous cases in which legal proceedings were followed by party decisions.

“There have been similar cases where a legal process took place, a legal assessment was made, people were expelled from the party, and then either before or after that they were convicted,” he said.

Asked whether the party might reconsider its decision to nominate Hayk Konjoryan for the post of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly in light of the case involving his brother, Pashinyan replied:

“Why should it be reconsidered? Every individual is responsible for their own actions.”

He added that Civil Contract has an oversight body which, if necessary, can examine the matter and submit its conclusions to the party’s board.

A criminal case has been launched by the Kotayk Regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee over an incident in Abovyan in which Avet Konjoryan was allegedly subjected to physical assault by a group of individuals.

Within the framework of the proceedings, five people have been charged with committing physical assault as a group. Two of them have been placed under restrictions prohibiting them from leaving the country and released on bail.