A former mayor of Vanadzor arrested in December 2021 after defeating Armenia’s ruling party in a local election continued to strongly deny corruption charges leveled against him during his yearlong trial on Thursday.
The former mayor of Armenia’s third largest city of Vanadzor went on trial on Friday six months after defeating the ruling Civil Contract party in a local election and being arrested on corruption charges.
Two local government employees in the northern Armenian city of Vanadzor have been fired for criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on social media and participating in ongoing opposition demonstrations aimed at toppling him.
Police cordoned off the municipal administration building in Vartenis on Tuesday to prevent a local opposition figure from taking over as mayor of the eastern Armenian town and nearby villages.
A court blocked on Friday the first session of Vanadzor’s newly elected municipal council in what local opposition figures denounced as a government attempt to prevent their arrested candidate from becoming the mayor of Armenia’s third largest city.