The newspaper “Zhoghovurd” has reported that the head of the National Security Service, Ararat Mirzoian, has been granted a three-month extension in his position, thanks to the initiative of foreign affairs representative Ararat Mirzoyan. This means that Mirzoian will remain in office until March 2024, unless further decisions are made.

On January 17th, the National Security Service announced that a group of civilians had gathered in Yerevan, demanding the resignation of Ararat Mirzoian and an investigation into the events that occurred under his supervision. The protests eventually led to a physical confrontation, with Mirzoian allegedly striking Ararat Badoyan. Mirzoian was then taken to the “Erebuni” medical center, resulting in his resignation.

Despite the National Security Service’s statement omitting the identity of the person who hit Mirzoian, the newspaper “Zhoghovurd” has clarified from its sources that Mirzoian himself was responsible for the incident. The NSS statement suggests that the movement of Mirzoian’s foot was a result of the overall situation, rather than a deliberate action.

Interestingly, the surveillance video only partially captures the confrontation, rendering it inconclusive whether Mirzoian hit Badoyan with his foot or not. This contradicts the definitive report presented by the “Erebuni” medical center’s official website, which stated that Mirzoian did strike Badoyan.

The report from the National Security Service raises questions as it fails to mention Badoyan’s foot. However, it is worth noting that Badoyan did hit Mirzoian once with his foot.

Thus, the reliable information regarding Mirzoian physically confronting Badoyan remains uncertain. Nonetheless, he continued to be under suspicion for an additional month before being released. The Prosecutor General’s Office has decided to extend the investigation by another three months.