Around 15:00 on May 17, unidentified persons tried to kidnap Ashot, the son of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This is reported by the newspaper Armtimes with reference to the police. The publication also publishes a video showing how the prime minister's son jumps out of the car.
According to the publication's preliminary information, the participants in the kidnapping were members of the "Call of Sons" public organization, created by the parents of the Armenian soldiers who died during the war. Members of the organization forced Ashot Pashinyan to get into his car, but he managed to jump out. He suffered a leg injury and the members of the Call of Sons escaped.
Ara Rostomyan, founding member of the Call of Sons, told the Armenian newspaper Panorama that the organization was in favor of the resignation of the current Armenian authorities. The police confirmed to Sputnik that there had been an incident involving the Prime Minister's son, but no details were given. The father of a military man who died in the 44-day war, Vahid Sahakyan, said in an interview with Sputnik that this was not a kidnapping, and this is done to divert public attention from important problems.
Another participant in the movement, the father of the deceased soldier Mkhitar Galeyan, Garik Galeyan, said that “they approached politely, they said: no one will do anything to you, we will not harm you.” According to him, Ashot Pashinyan did not demand that they stop the car and get out. However, according to Armtimes, Ashot Pashinyan several times demanded to stop the car, which was not done, after which he jumped out.