An open letter sent to Tert.am from the e-mail address, sosgyumri@gmail.com, is directed to the municipal authorities of the second largest city, Gyumri.

The authors of the letter, identifying themselves as “a group of Gyumri residents”, complain that the son of Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan is intimidating the local population. They call for deploying troops in the city to protect the people.

The full letter is provided below:

“Dear Central Authorities,

When National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan visited Gyumri yesterday, it was evident that Vardan Ghukasyan will not nominate his candidacy in the upcoming election. Gyumri turned into a big concentration camp.

The latter’s son, Spartak Ghukasyan, has started intimidating people together with his closest people and his father’s bodyguards, announcing that nobody can talk his father out of nominating his candidacy.

The bands headed by Spartak are at the moment recruiting people to organize a protest demonstration in the city’s central square tomorrow, as they did yesterday while Hovik Abrahamyan was on a visit.

The people are scared, and forced to promise that they will go by all means. All are being enrolled, and there have already been cases of battery, especially in their favorite district, Slabotka.

Spartak tells everybody they do not care in the least about the power and decision of anyone sitting there in Yerevan. Please deploy forces in Gyumri! Protect the people from those beasts! People are in terror. ”