Grandfather of soldier killed in military barracks fire confronts Pashinyan at

The grandfather of a soldier killed in the 2023 military barracks fire in Armenia’s Azat village interrupted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a campaign stop in the northern town of Spitak, accusing the authorities of failing to fully investigate the tragedy ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections.

“I want my child back. They took him to Azat and burned him,” Artyom Grigoryan, the grandfather of fallen soldier Aram Manukyan, shouted during Pashinyan’s speech.

Pashinyan dismissed the interruption, telling supporters that such incidents had become a “trend” at his public appearances and alleging that individuals were being paid to disrupt his events.

His security guards then forcibly removed Grigoryan from the scene, covering his mouth with their hands. Footage from the scene showed the elderly man resisting as he continued demanding accountability for his grandson’s death.

“I am presenting my demand. They took my child and burned him in Azat,” Grigoryan said. “I raised my child for 18 years and sent him to serve in the army. He had 25 days left before demobilization when he was burnt.”

Grigoryan also accused the authorities of failing to properly investigate the fire, disputing official accounts issued after the incident. He said investigators had targeted lower-ranking servicemen while failing to hold senior officials accountable.

During the confrontation, Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan approached journalists and urged them to give the elderly man time to recover after the scuffle. A reporter responded that the minister should have been concerned about Grigoryan’s condition when security personnel standing nearby covered his mouth and forcibly removed him from the crowd.

The fire at a military engineering unit barracks in the village of Azat, in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province, killed 15 soldiers and seriously injured three others on January 19, 2023.