TBILISI, September 24 – A local community leader and opposition politician was killed in Armenia late Sunday night, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
Volodya Grigoryan, head of the Parakar community near Yerevan and a representative of the opposition party Country for Life, was shot dead in his own home. Media reports say a friend visiting him, a police officer from the criminal division, was also killed. Another person was injured.
Authorities confirmed that the suspected gunman fled the scene. Police are searching for the attacker.
Grigoryan had only recently entered local politics. He was elected head of Parakar in April after defeating the ruling Civil Contract party’s candidate, Ludvig Gyulnazaryan, in local elections. Civil Contract is led by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The double killing is already making waves in Armenia’s tense political climate, where rivalries between the ruling party and opposition groups often run deep. Opposition media indicated Grigoryan’s political role as a possible motive, but this has not been confirmed by officials.
